The Shikon Child
by FrozenSpark
Summary: The virgin miko who wears the sign of the dragon will bear the child of the hanyou lord. This child will possess the Shikon No Tama- the most powerful object in all creation.
1. Kuro's prophecy

I do not own the cutest puppy alive.  
  
Hello my good readers. Now, don't get mad at me...I've decided to start a new fic. Sorry...I just couldn't help myself. Plus, I'm getting my computer back in a couple of days. (If the people fixing my computer, which happen to be my cousins, aren't lying...again!) Can you believe that it had 367 viruses on it? I had no clue that a computer could even get that many! It totally destroyed the sound chip, so we have to go buy a new one.  
  
Well, here's my new fic, I hope that it's to you all's tastes. It starts out with no Inuyasha or Kagome, but they'll come as the chapter progresses.

The Shikon Child  
  
Chapter one- Kuro's prophecy

-

Kuro watched the fire in half slumber. Her unusual midnight black orbs watched in bored amusement as the flames continuously licked the side of the fireplace. It's popping and blanket of warmth comforted her. She brought her slender hand up to her mouth, stifling the large yawn that was yearning to come free.  
  
Unfortunately, she couldn't sleep as her body was begging her to do. It was one of the curses of being the only true prophets in the country. She was constantly called upon to foresee into people's futures, no matter what time of day. Currently, she was waiting for one of her regulars; a young duke from a nearby village that was constantly seeking her abilities to help him prepare for upcoming events.  
  
She leaned back in her chair, allowing her cascade of long, silky, black hair to hang limply in the air. Besides being a prophet, Kuro was also known for her stunning beauty. Unlike most foreseers, she was very young and sought after by many men.  
  
There was a loud knock on the door, sending her out of her comforted daze. She strode to the door and opened it for her visitor.  
  
A young man with a lazy smile was standing in her doorway. He was a skinny and had a long nose, but he was still very handsome. He bowed to her in respect. "Good evening Ms. Kuro."  
  
"Evening," said Kuro, her voice was low, almost seductive. She walked over to her shelf, getting a bottle of ink, a quill, and a large sheet of paper. Unlike most seers, while she peered into the future, her hands subconsciously went to action by drawing whatever she was seeing at the time.  
  
Kuro motioned for the duke to sit down. She spread the piece of paper out on the table and set the quill and ink beside it. She blew out all of the candles, leaving only the light of the small fire. With everything ready for a proper reading, she took a seat across from the man.  
  
"What would you like me to foretell?"  
  
The duke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His cheeks held the slightest hint of pink, and his eyes shifted to the floor. "I was wondering...what direction my love life will be going in."  
  
Kuro stared at him in slight surprise. He had always come asking about major issues and problems that would come up in his work. He had never asked about himself and his personal life.  
  
"Close your eyes," she commanded quietly.  
  
He did as told, closing his eyes tightly. Kuro grabbed her quill, loaded it with ink, and pulled the paper closely to her. She then reached across the table and hovered her hand barely an inch above his head and closed her eyes.  
  
She felt the familiar feeling of her soul being tugged into a different time. Although the feeling used to make her extremely uncomfortable, she was too used to it now to let it get to her.  
  
With a whirl of colors, she soon found herself staring at the duke in what had to be his home. He was embracing a pretty woman who was at least a foot shorter than him.  
  
Kuro couldn't prevent the small smile that was appearing on her lips at the sight of such a cute couple. They looked perfect for each other.  
  
The vision of the couple suddenly got blurry, but then came back into focus a few seconds later. The scene was exactly the same except there was now another woman standing in the room. She was staring directly at Kuro, her eye's boring deep into the young prophet's. She said something so quietly that Kuro had to strain her ears to hear her. "Go."  
  
Kuro, who had never had a vision where someone could see or talk to her, stared at the woman in a scared confusion. "What do you mean? Go? Go where?"  
  
The woman smiled at her patiently, almost motherly. "Go and make sure the prophecy you have made is fulfilled.  
  
"What prophecy? I haven't made a prophecy."  
  
The lady only waved and continued smiling at her. The vision blurred, then completely dissipated, and Kuro's soul was pulled back to the present.  
  
Her eyes snapped open. They young duke was still sitting across from her, staring at her expectantly. "Did you see anything?"  
  
She ignored him and looked down at the paper. Her black eyes widened. There was something written on it.  
  
'The virgin miko who wears the sign of the dragon will bear the child of the hanyou lord. This child will possess the Shikon No Tama- the most powerful object in all creation.'

-

"Don't forget that you're supposed to meet Kikyo tomorrow."  
  
Inuyasha grunted and rolled his honey-golden eyes at his protector, Miroku. He shifted on his horse, trying to find a more comfortable position. The soft clicking of the horses hooves had lulled him into a peaceful half- sleep that he did not want disturbed by Miroku's musings and reminders. "I don't want to think about that right now."  
  
"Well, Inuyasha, you must plan early for these things. You don't want Kikyo to get the wrong impression of you. You will need to impress her if you want her to be your future bride." Miroku ran his fingers through his short, dark black hair, trying to tame his freely flowing locks. His horse gave a particularly loud neigh, looking hopefully at the bright green grass on the side of the road that was just begging it to come take a bite.  
  
"I don't even want to meet Kikyo. I've heard that she's flawless in every way. I don't think that I would be comfortable around a person like that."

"When you get to know her, you'll like her."

"You're my protector, not my advisor. Bug off."  
  
Miroku chuckled. "You and I both know that you can take perfectly good care of yourself. The only reason your parents hired me was to keep you out of trouble." He pulled the reigns of his horse, trying to stop its eager attempts at eating the grass. "Kikyo can't be that bad to be around. It would be nice having a perfect wife, wouldn't it?"  
  
Inuyasha gave Miroku a dry look. "Oh yeah. It'd be great to have a human icicle for a wife. That's exactly what everyone wants. I mean, I'm not into all of the "I want to marry when I find love" shit, but I want to be with someone that I'll enjoy myself with.  
  
"You have a valid point," stated Miroku as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I'm afraid that your parents want you to wed soon. Preferably Kikyo, since she owns a great share of land and a large portion of her daddy's riches."  
  
Getting tired of the conversation, Inuyasha turned his attention to the road ahead. They were getting close to the market place. They were going there to find cloth that Inuyasha wanted for his new outfit.  
  
Normally the palace tailor would have whoever wanted new clothing choose what they wanted out of her wide selection of fabric, but Inuyasha was very picky about what fabric he used. He wanted to find his own, which is why he went to the market place at least once a month.  
  
When they reached their destination, they got off their horses and tied them to nearby trees. The market was huge and there were stands everywhere with almost anything you could ask for. There was a strong aroma of cooking bread, and people of every age were crowding the narrow street. They were either haggling enthusiastically with the venders or talking happily with friends.  
  
Inuyasha's ears pulled back against his head to shield them from the racket that was being made. He braced himself for the frustrating act of haggling. "Lets get this over with."

-

Kagome sighed loudly as she finished counting the few coins that she possessed. There were only enough for one or maybe two meals. "Great, just great."  
  
She subconsciously rubbed the dragon-shaped birthmark on the back of her hand. Any time that she was anxious or scared she would rub it and it would soothe her.  
  
Kagome walked through the streets of the large market, scanning for a food stand with the more rotten food. She knew that the rotten food would sell for a lot cheaper than it would be to buy the fresh food.  
  
Spotting a stand that looked good, she walked over to it and smiled at the large man that appeared to be selling the slightly rotten food. "Hello."  
  
The man turned in her direction and grunted in response. His huge muscles bulged through his shirt in an ominous way. "What do you want?"  
  
His deep, angry voice startled Kagome. She looked around for another food stand, but found none that would suit her needs. She was about to turn back to the man when a flash of silver caught her eyes. It was hair, and the owner of that godly hair was looking over different shades of red cloth that was being displayed in another stand. His golden eyes and fuzzy, catlike ears on top of his head made her want to melt.  
  
"I asked you what you want, wench!"  
  
Kagome turned back to the man, highly offended by his rude comment. "Don't call me that! What's your problem?"  
  
The man cracked his knuckles loudly. "Do you have a problem with what I said, wench?"  
  
Her face heating in anger, Kagome glared at the man. "Yes, yes I do have a problem with it!"  
  
His eyes blared in an anger that overpowered Kagome's. He stood up, his height easily doubling hers. "Take. That. Back. NOW!"  
  
Either Kagome's self-preservation instincts weren't kicking in or her stubbornness wasn't backing off, but Kagome didn't obey the man. "No, you back down, you overgrown pig!"  
  
That was obviously the last thread of patience the man had, because Kagome soon found herself lifted up in the air by her neck.  
  
"You aren't so cocky now, are you little girl?" asked the man in a gleeful voice.  
  
Kagome was gasping for air. Her brown eyes were beginning to glaze over as black dots blurred her vision.  
  
"I should kill you right he-"  
  
Before the man could finish, a fist slammed into his jaw at an unimaginable speed. He flew backward, losing his grip on Kagome's neck and flew into the rotten fruit from his stand, sending fruit juices everywhere.  
  
Kagome felt a strong pair of hands catch her. She looked up and saw the silver-haired man she had been looking at earlier. Her breath caught in her throat at how beautiful he looked up close. She felt as though she could get lost in those mesmerizing eyes...  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Inuyasha in slight concern for the motionless girl in his arms.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Kagome started to feel slightly self-conscious. Her clothes were dirty and had holes covering them, and she hadn't had a bath in days...  
  
Inuyasha put her down carefully, and surveyed the damage he'd made. The guy he'd hit had landed on his own stand, totally tearing it apart. Fruit was still rolling every which way. The man was on the ground was twitching and completely covered in the juices of the rotten fruit.  
  
"Thank you," Kagome said shyly as she wiped some juice that had managed to spray her from her face.  
  
"You really shouldn't start fights with people five times your size, girl." Inuyasha turned, and was preparing to leave when he heard someone call out to them.  
  
"I've finally found you!" exclaimed a low, feminine voice.  
  
Coming out of the crowd was an extremely beautiful woman with black eyes.  
  
"Are you talking to me?" he asked, giving the woman a quizzical look.  
  
Kagome didn't say anything. She only stared at the woman in shock with her mouth slightly open. It's not every day that you see the most famous prophet in the country.  
  
Kuro gave Kagome a small smile. After a month of travels, she had finally found the couple she had been looking for. She had finally found the girl with the sign of the dragon.  
  
She grabbed Kagome's hand to make sure the dragon birthmark was true. Feeling strong pulses of power emitting from it, it confirmed her belief. This had to be the girl.  
  
Seeing Inuyasha, one of the only hanyou lords around, she knew that he had to be the lord the prophecy mentioned.  
  
Now what was she going to do? She couldn't exactly tell them to go and have a kid. It was unheard of for a demon lord to even associate with humans.  
  
'Well,' thought Kuro. 'I'll just have to make this happen my way.'  
  
People were starting to gather around and stare. Their attention had first been drawn by Inuyasha's display, but now they were all goggling at Kuro. Many of them knew who she was, and it interested them to see why she made such a long journey away from her home.  
  
"Listen, and listen well you two," said Kuro loudly and clearly so everyone could hear. She pointed in Kagome's direction. "She will bear your child, hanyou. This child will be the Shikon child. It will possess the Shikon jewel, which will be the most powerful object that has ever been seen on this earth so far. You both will need to protect this child with everything you have, lest it be taken by the wrong hands."  
  
Inuyasha gave her a look of immense disbelief, and started laughing at the top of his lungs. "Y-you can't be serous!"  
  
"I think you've made a mistake," said Kagome when she finally found her voice. "You've got the wrong people."  
  
Kuro ignored their words and eyed them with slight pity. This wasn't going to be easy for them. They would have to overcome many obstacles to have this child and come out of this ordeal safely. But she had to complete her task, and she knew what she had to do.  
  
A golden stream of power escaped out of her hands and into Inuyasha's body. She heard his scream of fright and anger, but ignored that too. The lights came out of Inuyasha's body and Into Kagome's. Then, as quickly as the stream of power had came, it disappeared.  
  
Everyone there was wide-eyed and silent, too amazed by what had happened to even move.  
  
Kagome and Inuyasha were left on the ground, panting for air.  
  
Inuyasha barred his teeth and looked at Kuro with utmost anger. "What the _HELL_ did you do to us?"

All done! I hope that you like this new story. I really do! I'm sorry that I left you with a cliffhanger, but I tend to do that a lot. I just love to torture my readers! I'll try to update all my fics ASAP, and it'll be easier now that I'm out of school!

-

Review?????  
  
-Lima Squamosa


	2. Meet the Parents

If I owned Inuyasha, there would be no hair left on his ears by the time I got done rubbing them.  
  
Hello my good people. I was trying to get some progress on my other stories, but bits and pieces of this story kept floating through my head and haunting me until I finally forced myself to write this one. I really enjoy writing this one, so that's okay! For the people who're reading my other stories, I'm really sorry! I'll get to them, but I seem to be having one writer's block after another and it's driving me insane! Wah!  
  
Note on review responses- jeez guys! I got so many reviews last chapter that I was almost in tears! Thank you so much! The reviews really motivate me. I used to do review responses for everyone, but now that would just take up too much space. So I will still acknowledge everyone who reviewed, but I'll only respond to a couple people.  
  
Review Reponses-  
  
Thank you OceanBreeze777, FieryDemonFox(I like your name!!!), Rushyuo, Kim, seida02, Inu-babe666, Leslie Batts, fruitpeach, Mini Nicka, and DraGonMistress704 for reviewing!!!!  
  
Arianna233- Thank you! I try to make my plots at least a little different from other stories, though it's hard when there are tens of thousands of Inuyasha stories out there!  
  
Morlana- You were the only one to comment on the linkage! It took me a long time to make it all fit in just right.  
  
Dragon Man 180- You review like every chapter of all of my stories! Lol! I appreciate it! Yeah, Inuyasha isn't the happiest puppy right now.  
  
KC and IC- You think my story is interesting? Yay! You're right, there will be some huge conflicts, just keep reading and find out what they are.   
  
Frost Fae- I totally agree. I hate it when a story is so good, but there are only one or two chapters out. It makes me so mad...especially if there aren't frequent updates. Ah well, I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Lazy lady- I'll have to check your story out sometime! You just have to type it out first! Good luck!  
  
Degeneratebeerwench- I'm glad you like my story. Good job! You figured out what Kuro did! She's sure stirring things up!  
  
The Shikon Child  
  
Chapter 2- Meet the Parents

-

Kuro Ignored Inuyasha, and looked at Kagome. Besides breathing heavily, she seemed to be in good condition. She walked up to the raven-haired girl and put her hand lightly over her belly, checking to see if her spell had worked.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened as she felt the prophet touching her stomach. She wanted to back away, but was unable to for some reason. She felt a small burst of power going through her body from where Kuro's hand lay. The power traveled through her veins, as though searching for something.  
  
Smiling, Kuro lifted her hand from Kagome's stomach. "It worked."  
  
"What worked?!" Inuyasha asked angrily. He cracked his knuckles, preparing to attack if she tried to do one of her tricks on them again.  
  
Kuro gave Inuyasha a look of impatience. "I already told you. This young woman will bear your child. I made sure of that."  
  
Inuyasha's face paled. He knew that she wasn't joking around; he saw the truth in her eyes. He had heard of Kuro and her extreme powers, and knew that she could easily do a spell of this nature. He turned to Kagome, whose face was even paler than his. He looked at her belly and could sense, just barely, the new presence within her.  
  
The crowd around them stood in an awed silence, looking at them in great surprise.  
  
Kagome's bottom lip quivered. "W-why?"  
  
Kuro's smile wilted at the sad and hopeless look on Kagome's face. She suddenly felt horrible for what she did, but she knew that it had to be done. The prophecy had to put into effect. "Don't worry, young one. This was foretold; it had to happen. Your pregnancy has been sped up slightly, due to the magic. You will be a little over one month along by the looks of things." She paused and looked at Inuyasha. "You will need to protect her, and your child. If you don't, unimaginably horrible things will come of this. If you have any troubles, you can contact me, and I'll try to help. For now, I must go. I have spent way too long searching. There are things I must do."  
  
There was a loud crack she was gone.  
  
The crowd gasped, amazed at the sorcery they had just witnessed. Some children started crying, while others were bursting with excitement.  
  
Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He hadn't exactly been in one of these situations before. He looked at Kagome, who seemed to be in a state of deep shock. She was just staring ahead blankly, her bottom lip still quivering.  
  
He knew that he couldn't just leave her there, so he walked over to her and scooped her up bridal style. He would take her to the castle for now, and explain what had happened to his parents. They weren't going to be happy...  
  
Kagome squealed loudly when she felt him pick her up. "Put me down! Now!"  
  
He lowered his ears against his head, shielding them from the horrible noise emitting from her. "Calm down, girl! I'm taking you to my castle to see if we can get this problem sorted out."  
  
Her anger flaring, Kagome slammed her fists into his chest. Although she wasn't particularly fond their predicament, she wouldn't call the child a problem! "How dare you!"  
  
Obviously he had said something wrong. Inuyasha didn't let her go though. He only held on tighter. He looked around for Miroku. 'He's probably off with some girl.'  
  
Not wanting to push through the crowd, he jumped high into the air, trying to ignore the loud screeching coming from the girl in his arms. He landed right next to his horse, which was a large black stallion, and put her on it.  
  
Kagome immediately tried to get off, but Inuyasha grabbed onto her shirt, preventing her from escape. "Hold still, girl!"  
  
She sent Inuyasha a glare that would have sent most running for their lives, her brown eyes full of a fire that burned intensely. He seemed unaffected. "I have a name! Kagome! Use it!"  
  
"Fine! Okay, Kagome, will you please just hold still? My castle is only up the hill a ways."  
  
Crossing her arms in a huff, Kagome sat obediently on the horse.  
  
Inuyasha released a sigh of relief at her compliance. It would be hard to get to his home if the girl was constantly diving off of the horse.  
  
He jumped on the horse, behind Kagome, and grabbed the reigns. He scooted closer to her, making sure to be in close proximity in case she decided to try to get away again.  
  
Kagome blushed, not used to being so close to a man. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body.  
  
Inuyasha kicked the horse's sides, making it start their journey to the castle.  
  
They made it to the palace in about a quarter of an hour, which was fairly good timing. Kagome gawked at it, never having realized how large it was. It was an old castle. Large vines lined the sidings, making it look even more ancient. Even with its age, it was still a sturdy and beautiful castle. The only windows were made of stained glass, which held intricate designs. There was no mote or any other form of protection, like most palaces had. There was just a huge garden that spread in a circle all around the giant castle, giving it a comfortable and homey look. Many maids were wandering all about, all with happy smiles on their faces.  
  
Inuyasha led the horse to the stables. He got off, and offered Kagome his hand.  
  
Kagome looked at the hand warily. No one, as far as she could remember, had ever offered their hand to assist her. Being a parentless, homeless commoner, she was almost always ignored or shunned. She decided to decline his offer, and got off of the horse on her own, stumbling slightly on impact with the ground.  
  
He gave her a strange look as he lowered his rejected hand to his side.

He put the horse in its cell, giving it an affectionate pat on the head. He'd had the horse for just over a year now, and it had proved to be a good companion. He was the fastest horse around, and only let Inuyasha ride him. The only way someone else could ride would be if Inuyasha had a passenger.  
  
Following Inuyasha out of the stable, Kagome couldn't help but feel out of place. This place was simply beautiful, and she had always figured herself to be sort of ugly. No one had ever told her any different. There was also the fact that her clothes were horribly dirty, and her body was no better. Her long hair was in tangles, and there was a dab of mud splotched across her face.  
  
They didn't go through the large front door, as Kagome thought they would. Inuyasha led her to a door on the side of the castle, where all of the maids went in and out. It led into a kitchen, which was bustling with people going in every direction.  
  
Before opening the door to the dining room, Inuyasha turned to Kagome. He looked stressed and slightly confused. The same feelings were racing through her too. "Okay, I'm going to try to explain this to my parents. My mom will probably take it the easiest...but my dad isn't exactly friendly with strangers. If he says anything offensive, try to ignore him."  
  
Inuyasha found his gaze continually falling to her stomach. He tried not to, but it was like his eyes were magnetized.  
  
"So, after this little discussion, can I leave?"  
  
Kagome didn't know how to raise a child. She had no experience in motherhood. She couldn't remember her own mom. All she knew was her parents had died in some sort of accident and she was put in the care of a rich couple from the village. They weren't exactly the nicest of all people, so Kagome ran away and never came back. After that she had gone from village to village and job to job, never staying in a place for long. She was a free spirit and didn't take well to being caged.  
  
Inuyasha scratched the back of his head uneasily. He didn't know what would happen. Demons mated for life, but she wasn't his mate. She was just having his child...He highly doubted she would be able to even leave the castle after his parents found out though. "We'll just have to see."  
  
Inuyasha pushed the door open, revealing a large dining room. There was a long wooden table with at least twenty chairs around it. There were two people sitting at the end of the table, opposite of where they were standing. One was a tall woman with long black hair, rosy cheeks and friendly brown eyes. She was smiling at them, and motioning them to sit down. The other was an even taller man with extremely long, white hair. He had three purple streaks across both cheeks and the same streaks across his wrists. His eyes were a rich golden color, but unlike the woman beside him, they were glaring coldly at them, or rather, at Kagome.  
  
He turned down his mother's request and gave his parents an uneasy look. Although he was reaching manhood, he still feared his father's wrath. "Well...you see..."  
  
His father interrupted him. He glared at Kagome, his golden eyes boring into her brown. "Kuro came by the house a minute ago. We were quite shocked to be receiving a visit from her."  
  
Kagome felt like hiding behind Inuyasha. His dad seemed murderous. But she wasn't one to back down, so she stood her ground and put on her poker face, making her appear totally fearless.  
  
Inuyasha slowly looked between the two. They seemed to be having a hardcore staring contest, as though trying to see which one would back down first. His dad knew what had happened down at the market. He wouldn't be acting so harsh if he didn't.His dad continued. "She said something rather interesting. Do you know what she told me, Inuyasha?"  
  
Resisting the temptation of running, Inuyasha chewed the inside of his cheek hesitantly. For some reason, his dad always made him feel like he did something wrong, even when it wasn't his fault. "She put to work a prophecy- "  
  
"Yes," his father interrupted once again. "And apparently, we are grandparents now."  
  
Inuyasha didn't say anything. He stood perfectly still, waiting for his dad to continue.  
  
"You don't want her as your mate, do you?"  
  
Inuyasha's face heated slightly as he shook his head. He had barely met the girl for God's sake.  
  
"Then we'll have to get rid of it. We can't have something like that ruining the Shima reputation. I know a fine healer that could easily do an abortion-,"  
  
Kagome, frightened beyond belief at his words, sped out of the room, towards the kitchens again.Inuyasha shot his dad a withering look as he ran from the room, trying to stop the girl from getting far.  
  
Inuyasha spotted Kagome in the kitchen, and jumped over two chiefs to get to her. He grabbed her around the waist to try to restrain her.  
  
Kagome screamed and kicked, trying to free herself from his grasp. "Let go of me!"  
  
She was fighting so hard that even he, a half demon, was having an extremely hard time holding on to her. "Hold still, girl!"  
  
She only fought harder. She slammed her foot on his, making him reel back in pain, and giving her an opportunity to get away.  
  
Kagome managed to get out of the kitchen and into the garden. She stopped for a second, not sure where to go. She spotted the stables and headed that way.  
  
She had gotten halfway there, when a livid Inuyasha landed in front of her, blocking her from reaching her destination.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed her arms, preventing her from escape. "Would you just listen to me?"  
  
Kagome wasn't listening. Her maternal instincts were kicking in. The only thing on her mind was getting away from here, away from the man who wanted to kill her baby. She tried to get her arms free, but the hanyou's grip was too tight. Panic swept over her and tears started falling from her eyes. She looked at Inuyasha desperately. "Please...please-,"  
  
Inuyasha was taken back by the sudden change of her mood. He didn't like it when women cried, it always made him extremely uncomfortable. He put his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "Just listen, okay?"  
  
Kagome began shaking. She nodded her head, tears of terror still falling freely from her chocolate orbs.  
  
"I will do everything within my power to keep the pup-" he paused for a second. "To keep our pup safe."  
  
She nodded again, believing him. She had always had a knack for telling if someone was being truthful. Her knees felt wobbly, and her head was pounding, making her feel nauseated. She didn't think that she could hold herself up much longer.  
  
He looked at her in slight pity. She seemed exhausted and slightly sick, and she was dirty. She was definitely underfed. 'Well, I'll have to fix that.'  
  
Inuyasha picked her up carefully, grateful she didn't make a fuss. He looked up and spotted his balcony. With the gracefulness of a cat, he jumped up to his elegant third story balcony. He opened the door that led to his room and walked in. He set her down on the bed. "Hey maid!"  
  
A slightly timid girl with short black hair, who had been dusting the shelves in his room, turned his way. "Yes my Lord."  
  
"This girl needs a bath, food, and some sleep. I expect you to make sure she gets all of that. I'm going to lock the door, and you are to let no one in, understand?"  
  
If she was startled by the request, she didn't let it show. "Yes Lord Inuyasha."  
  
He turned to Kagome. "I'm going to go have a...talk with my father. I'll be back in a while."  
  
Again, she only nodded, feeling like she would vomit if she opened her mouth.  
  
Inuyasha left his room, getting ready for what he knew would be one of the biggest fights he and his father would ever have.

-

Whew! I'm so tired, you guys. But I'm happy to have another chapter ready for you all. I hope that you enjoyed! If I get another great batch of reviews like last time, you guys might get a quick update! Well, I'm going to attempt to get some work done on Survivor. (Sorry FLIW people, I'll get to that after Survivor.) Oh, and I'm also considering getting an editor, or beta reader. Would anyone like to apply for the job? I'm not sure about the whole process, so if you all would like to fill me in, I'd be extremely thankful.  
  
Lima S.


	3. The Fight

AN-Okay all! Some of you are confused on how the baby was conceived. Kuro used her powers to make the baby. She used that golden stream of light to take what she needed from Inuyasha and put it into Kagome. She basically artificially inseminated Kagome. But it did have a side-affect. Since she used magic to do it, it sped up Kag's pregnancy by one month. Got it? If you still have questions, feel free to email me.  
  
Oh, yeah, and I know that Japanese people have a weird order to their name. Like you have to say the last name first and all that junk, and I don't even know if they do middle names...but I don't care. So don't yell at me if I give people first, middle, and last names, okay?  
  
Review Responses-  
  
Thank you inu-ears, Rushyuo, inuyashasluvforever, FieryDemonFox, fruitpeach, and DraGonMistress704 for reviewing.  
  
Lima Squamosa- Lyndsay?! Why did you sign on as my screen name!? You are making it look like I'm giving myself reviews, you dork!  
  
Fieridemonfox-You're the second person who has told me that! :) I hate it when I don't look at the number of chapters too. Ah, well. I'm happy that you're hooked on my story though. I'll try to get to survivor asap.  
  
Mini Necka- I hope that the AN helped you understand how baby was conceived. I'm glad you like!  
  
Morlana- I know that Inu's mom doesn't have a personality yet. She'll get some in the chapter. Your question will be answered in this chapter.  
  
Dragon Man 180-Nope, Sango's not the maid. I have a plan to put her in later. You'll get to see more of his mom in this chapter, so I hope she answers your questions.  
  
Inu-babe666-I hope my AN helped you understand how baby came to be. Sango will be coming in soon. I'm not sure how soon...maybe in the next chapter? Dunno...  
  
Arianna233-Mine surpasses all of the other Inu stories? Wow! What a high complement! Thanks so much!  
  
seida02- I was thinking of adding Kouga in somewhere...but I'll keep your advice in mind.  
  
Kostos- I put you on my email list thingy! I'm glad you think my story is good!  
  
DBZGirl202-I'm glad that you like my story! Yeah, Inuyasha is being pretty nice. I don't want to take him too out of character, but I love making him do sweet things for Kag.  
  
Inuyasha-angel2004- Wow! You give me an 11? What an honor! This story actually has a plot...unlike my other two. Heh heh. I'm glad you see potential in my story.  
  
The Shikon Child  
  
Chapter three- The fight  
  
-  
  
Lady Shima watched her son run out of the room. She then turned to her husband, displeasure written in her features. "Why did you say that?"  
  
Her mate acted as though he didn't hear her. He just glared heatedly at the table.  
  
She was not one to be ignored. Her anger at his actions toward their son and his guest, and the fact that he was ignoring her bubbled up inside her. She raised her hand, and with all of the strength she possessed, she whacked the back of his head.  
  
He let out an earsplitting yelp, and barely stopped his face from flying strait into the table. He turned to his mate, anger and confusion clouded his honey-golden orbs. "W-What was that for?!"  
  
"You know what that was for, Inutaisho Akio Shima!"  
  
He leaned back a little, fighting the instincts that were telling to run away from his wife. She could be scarier than the most powerful demon when she was angry. She hadn't called him his full name since the time he accidentally dropped Inuyasha on his head when he was a pup...  
  
She stood up and hit her fists on the table, making a loud bang that echoed through the dining room. "First you glare at Inuyasha's guest, probably making her feel highly uncomfortable in her new environment."  
  
"But I wasn't-"  
  
"Then," she continued, totally ignoring her husband's words. "You tell our son that he should have his pup killed to save your reputation!"  
  
"But I-,"  
  
"THEN YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO IGNORE ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"  
  
Inutaisho scooted as far back into his chair as possible. Although he was frightened of his wife's mood, he still gazed at her fondly. He was proud that he had a strong wife who wasn't easily subdued. She also looked so cute when she was angry...  
  
"Are you done yet, Izayoi?" He asked her, his eyebrow lifting in question.  
  
She turned to him, and saw a weird look in his eyes. Why had his face turned from fearful to lustful? She calmed down a bit, and smiled at her husband as he stared at her small frame approvingly. "No. I have a question."  
  
He pulled her into his lap, glad that she was over her tantrum. He wrapped his strong arms around her, and smiled when she snuggled herself against him. "What's the question?"  
  
"Why did you tell Inuyasha to have his pup killed? I know you want grandchildren as much as I do, especially with Sesshomaru not wanting to have his own. I know that you don't care about the fact that she's a commoner and human...you never cared about that with me."  
  
He stared at his wife affectionately. She knew him so well... "I want to make sure that Inuyasha is responsible enough to have a child, and that he'd be protective over his mate...or whatever the girl is to him." He paused, looked at the door that led to the halls, then continued. "If Inuyasha comes and defends his pup and the girl, then I will know that he is mature enough to start his family."  
  
With a loud sigh, she slumped against him. "This is all too much too fast."  
  
"I know," said Inutaisho softly. "I don't know how we're going to handle Kikyo coming over tomorrow. It would be devastating for our country if we broke the alliance that was going to be sealed with Inuyasha and Kikyo getting married. We would lose a much needed ally."  
  
He looked at the door again and gave his mate a crooked smile. He lifted her off of him and set her on a chair. "Our son is coming, and by the sound of his footsteps, he doesn't sound to happy."  
  
-  
  
Inuyasha walked through the seemingly endless maze of hallways. His mind was full of anger and determination.  
  
Something was nagging at his mind though. He knew that his father could be ornery sometimes, but he had never been so outright mean. His father had never put much emphasis on the family name before. He had married a human for heaven's sake, and she wasn't even a miko! That was very rare among demon leaders, and was highly frowned upon.  
  
Inuyasha turned a corner, coming to a new set of halls. He walked through the palace easily, not even paying attention to where he was going. His feet automatically took him where his destination was, having haunted the halls so many times already.  
  
He went around another corner, and collided with someone. Although the wind had been knocked out of him, he had still managed to still be standing. The person who had ran into him was knocked backwards onto the ground.  
  
Looking down, Inuyasha saw his 'protector.'  
  
Miroku looked winded, and he had sweat covering his face, making his silky black hair stubbornly stick to his forehead. His cheeks held a hint of pink, and his purple robes were damp with perspiration.  
  
"Well well, look at my so-called protector!" Inuyasha said coldly. He was angry with his lifetime friend. If Miroku had been with him at the market, then he might have been able to use his spiritual powers to prevent Kuro from conjuring her spell.  
  
The monk stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of his purple robes. He looked at around the hallway, searching for anyone else who might be around, and sighed in relief. 'I knew that the villagers had been lying! There's no girl here...'  
  
Inuyasha let out a frustrated growl. "Where were you when we were at the market?!"  
  
"I- I was visiting an old friend..." Miroku said slowly.  
  
"Well, while you were 'visiting a friend' a freaking miko powered prophet somehow impregnated a girl, saying that I was the baby's father! If you were there, then you could have stopped her, Miroku!"  
  
Miroku's face paled. "I heard some villagers saying that...but I was positive that they were lying..."  
  
Remembering the task at hand, Inuyasha abandoned the conversation, and started walking down the halls again.  
  
Falling into step behind him, Miroku took his place as protector. He was now extremely anxious, not knowing what the king and queen were going to do with him. Although he was basically a bodyguard for looks, and trying to keep Inuyasha from doing anything stupid, he was still supposed to be his protector if need be. He wasn't supposed to leave his masters side, but that girl had seemed so enticing...  
  
Soon, Inuyasha found himself at the dining room door, Miroku still behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to build up confidence. Then he slowly turned the knob, and entered the room.  
  
His parents were looking at him. His mom looked slightly apprehensive, his dad confident.  
  
"Have you come to a decision on the abortion?" Inutaisho asked coldly, his face emotionless. He internally applauded his good acting.  
  
Inuyasha heatedly glared at his father. "I thought that you wanted grandchildren! Why are you so eager to get rid of my child!?"  
  
"Your 'child' is a disgrace to our family name, and so is its mother!"  
  
He was so mad that he considered pouncing on his dad. A loud growl was beginning to rise from his chest. "What the hell is your problem?"  
  
"My problem is the child, Inuyasha! You must get rid of it...and you might want to consider getting rid of the girl too."  
  
Miroku, who had come in with Inuyasha, stared at his lord in complete horror. He had never seen him act so horribly.  
  
Inuyasha's fists clenched in anger. "Mom? What do you have to say about this?"  
  
"I agree fully with your father. It's the best way to handle the situation," she said in a monotone voice.

"W-what?" He definitely hadn't expected his mother, the kindest person he knew, to agree with his father's preposterous idea.  
  
"No!" he yelled, confusion and frustration overwhelming him. "I will not let some healer destroy my baby! I don't care if it will be a disgrace to the family! And I definitely wont get rid of Kagome! I don't care what you both have to say! I'll protect them with everything I have!"  
  
There was complete silence in the room, until his parents started clapping. They both had wide grins across their faces."I knew that you'd pull through, my boy." Inutaisho said happily. He got up from his chair and clapped his stunned son on the back.  
  
Inuyasha and Miroku stood in shock, not understanding the sudden turn of events.  
  
Izayoi got up from her seat and wrapped her son in a tight embrace. "You are really maturing, young man.  
  
Inuyasha stared at his parents in utmost confusion. "What's going on?"  
  
His dad smiled, sat down, and patted the chair next to him, inviting Inuyasha to sit next to him. "Come, I'll explain."  
  
-  
  
Kagome looked around the room, and noticed how huge and beautiful it was. It was as large as a house!  
  
The walls were painted a rich shade of dark red with a golden boarder across the top and bottom. There was a giant, framed map above the mantle of the equally huge fireplace. The bed, which she was currently sitting on, could easily fit fifteen grown men. Its crimson cover was made of an extremely fine silk. The only other furniture in the room was a highly polished, wooden dresser, a gigantic red chair, a bookshelf, and a bedside table that had an hourglass sitting on top.  
  
Kagome watched the maid go in and out of a door, which apparently led to the bathroom. She leaned over and looked in and her eyes widened in shock. There was running water! She had head of running water, and knew only the richest of people could afford it. How she would love to have nice, warm water whenever she wanted a bath. Unfortunately, Kagome almost never got hot baths. Heating the water took a lot of time, and a strong fire, and she usually wasn't up to it after having to lug all of the water from a well or creek.  
  
"Miss? Would you like your bath now, my lady?"  
  
She smiled and nodded, still feeling slightly queasy. "That would be great...er...what's your name?"  
  
The maid looked startled by the question. Maids were only supposed to do their jobs, and they were almost never asked about their name or anything about their personal life. She didn't dare disobey an order, so she looked at the ground and answered, "Emi, my lady."  
  
"Well, Emi, you don't need to look at your feet when answering me." Her smile widened when Emi looked up at her in confusion. "I'm in no way a royal, if you couldn't tell by my condition." She pointed to her dirty body. "So you don't have to act like I'm one."  
  
Emi looked Kagome in the eyes, her dark blue orbs clashing with Kagome's chocolate brown, and couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips. It was hard not to smile when you had someone genuinely beaming at you like Kagome was. "Yes, my lady."  
  
"And my name's not my lady, it's Kagome."  
  
"Yes, Kagome." Emi motioned the bathroom with her hands. "Your bath is prepared for you. Will you manage by yourself?"  
  
Kagome nodded, and slid into the bathroom. She was awed by its size. It was nearly as big as the room. There were pearly white walls that nearly blinded her with their astounding brightness. There was a silver toilet with a silver sink to match. At the center of the bathroom was a very large, circular shaped bathtub that was filled to the rim with fragrant, pink bubbles. There was a small, square window that allowed light to enter the heavenly room. There was fuzzy, white carpet under her feet, which made her feel as though she was walking on clouds.  
  
She took off her clothes, and slowly lowered herself into the tub. She had never felt anything so good in her life. Her nausea instantly subsided into only a slight discomfort, and her aching limbs relaxed in the warm blanket of water that surrounded her.  
  
For the first time since being at the market, Kagome was finally able to relax. Without so much happening, her mind started racing with thoughts. 'I'm at the royal palace. I'm really at the royal palace,' she thought in amazement. 'And I'm pregnant with the Shima's youngest prince's baby. Gods, my life has changed so much in only a few hours...'  
  
Letting her thoughts overwhelm her, she submerged into the water, soaking her hair. When she popped back up, she watched in detached amusement as specks of dirt dissolved into the bubbly water.  
  
"My lad-...erm...Kagome?"  
  
Kagome turned around and saw Emi holding a small container and a bar of soap. "Yes?"  
  
"I've got you some hair cleaner and soap." She laid them on the side of the tub. "I set out some towels on the sink to use when you're done."  
  
"Thank you." Kagome picked up the 'hair cleaner' and looked at its contents in fascination, having never heard of such a thing. She had always used soap in her hair.  
  
Emi said that she was more than welcome, and left the room, shutting the door behind her.  
  
After finishing her bath, Kagome wrapped herself in the fuzzy towel Emi had gotten her. She reveled in its softness as she strode back into Inuyasha's room, where the wonderful aroma of food drifted into her nose.  
  
She felt as though she would drool all over the carpet. Looking around the room, she spotted the source of the wonderful smell. There was a large tray with chicken, rice, soup, cooked apple slices with cinnamon on them, and a glass of warm tea. "I-is this for me?"  
  
"It's all for you, you're too skinny." Emi smiled and pointed toward a beautiful light blue kimono that was on the bed. "You can wear that until the palace tailor can make you something."  
  
Feeling a little more than spoiled at the moment, Kagome could only smile joyfully. She stripped off her towel and put on the kimono. She had never wore something so beautiful, elegant, or comfortable in her life.  
  
"Come and eat, and I'll brush through your hair. It's all matted."  
  
Kagome eagerly complied. She loaded up a plate with all of the food it would hold, took a cupful of tea, and sat on the bed.  
  
Crawling on the bed behind her, Emi began working through working through the knots in Kagome's hair.  
  
When Kagome was finally done with her supper, and Emi was done with brushing her hair, Kagome stood up to stretch. She turned towards the maid, a smile still plastered to her face. "Thanks so much."  
  
"You're welcome." She looked Kagome up and down. "You look so pretty now! Go look at yourself in the mirror in the bathroom."  
  
She complied, and made her way to the bathroom. She spotted the mirror and walked to it. She looked at her reflection and gasped. She looked gorgeous. Her untangled, silky hair flowed and cascaded down her back. Her skin, though still rough from working and traveling, was much smoother. The kimono seemed to show off every curve, giving her a feminine look. Kagome found it hard to hold back the tears forming in her eyes.

"Wow..."  
  
-  
  
It's four in the morning and I've just finished this chapter. Sooooo tired! But you guys so deserve this chapter. Your reviews inspire me! Please keep them up! They make me so happy! I know that their was a little bitta fluff with Inu's parents. Sorry that I had to torture you with that, but I'm in a fluffy mood, and Inuyasha and Kag aren't at the fluff stage yet, so I had to use another couple. Heh.  
  
Review?????  
  
Lima S


	4. The Escape

Hey! Well, I've decided to update my fics according to how many reviews I get for each story. And no, I am not a review addict, I want to try to update fairly, because a lot more people like this story than Finding Love in War and Survivor. So...This story will be updated the most, Survivor will be updated second most, and FLIW will be updated the least. But I'm never very consistent, so that plan may be discarded. I will try to update once a week, if I can. I might even update more if my stories keep doing well. ::nudges readers and shows them the review button::  
  
And, although no one seemed to notice, I did call Inuyasha's dad Hiroshi instead of Inutaisho. Unfortunately I have to watch the Adult Swim version of Inuyasha, and as far as I know, It hasn't mentioned his name before. But I'm going to keep his name how I made it, so I don't confuse my readers.  
  
Review Responses-  
  
There were so many that I wanted to respond to, so I decided that everyone is going to get individual responses this time! ;-)  
  
Arianna233- I was going to have Inu's dad be a little more evil, but I decided that there was already a lot of drama going on. (; I'm glad you liked my chapter. Thanks for the review. I appreciate it.  
  
Wo Ai Ni16- Wow! You are so nice! Thank you for the compliments on my writing. I'm glad you think that I'm original and staying in character. Thanks for the review.  
  
lazy lady- You are one silly little girl, do you know that? Thanks for reviewing, cuz.  
  
Inuyashasluvforever- Lol! You must have more? Well, here you have it! Thanks for the review.  
  
Redrose Moon- Yes, sesshoumaru will be appearing in this story. I'm glad that you think my story has potential.  
  
Essence of Randomness-I'm happy that you like my story! I updated! (duh, lol)  
  
FieryDemonFox- ;) I liked the parent's 'plan' with the baby too. I had a hoot writing it. Thanks for the review.  
  
seida02- I'm glad you liked. Thanks for the review.  
  
Rushyuo- I'm sure that Inuyasha will find Kagome's new look pleasantly surprising. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
OceanBreeze777-I love 'pup' too! It's just too cute, and fun to say. Lol. Wow! You totally inspired a scene in my chapter. You'll know it when you see it! I dedicate it to you.  
  
Morlana- Don't we all want a prince? Or at least a night in shining armor...(;  
  
megu-sama- Bad! You are not supposed to read my mind! I do plan on doing that in the future. Thanks for the suggestion. Suggestions are always more than welcome.  
  
Inu-babe666-I'm glad that the AN helped you. I updated, not exactly soon, but I still updated. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
inuyasha-angel2004- I loved writing out their plan. It was so much fun, and I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review.  
  
Kostos- If my parents were like that, I would have pounced on them too. I updated soonishly. ;)  
  
Dragon Man 180- I couldn't help but put the little thing about Inuyasha being dropped on his head. I thought that it was so funny! I know, Kikyou is probably going to cause some problems, but a little bit of love conflict can be healthy for a fic, right...right?  
  
Well! Here we go!  
  
The Shikon Child  
  
Chapter 4- The Escape  
  
-  
  
Smiling broadly, Kagome spun around, seeing how she looked at different angles. "The kimono is so beautiful, Emi!"  
  
Emi peeked into the bathroom, and watched as Kagome twirled. "The kimono is pretty, but it is you that makes it look simply dazzling. It fits you very well."  
  
Kagome blushed at the comment. She couldn't help but admit to herself that she looked pretty good, not as good as many of the women she had seen, but not too bad.  
  
She walked back into Inuyasha's room, and plopped herself on the heavenly silk sheets covering the giant bed. "So, are you Inuyasha's personal maid, or do you work in the whole palace?"  
  
"I only work on the third story, which is a great bit of area to cover." The maid tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I work with five other maids, which is a lot less than the number of maids that work on the first and second floors. They need more help because of the kitchens, the ball room, the tea room, the dining room, the room for the council when they come to meet, and all of the other rooms needed for company. This floor is has only guest bedrooms, Inuyasha's room, and the treasury, so it's not so hard to clean."  
  
Kagome cocked her head to the side, confused. "They keep their treasury up here? Don't Kings usually keep them underground to keep the money safe?"  
  
A wry smile spread across Emi's face. "Did you notice that there was no mote or other form of protection around the palace?"  
  
Kagome nodded slowly, remembering only a garden around the large palace.  
  
"Well, there's no mote there for the same reason that he keeps the treasury up here."  
  
"I don't get it."  
  
Emi ran her hand through her hair, and looked around uncertainly, as though expecting to see someone to be standing behind the curtains, listening to their conversation. She leaned in closer to Kagome. "Because the king is very confident...and a " She stopped, searching the room again, then continued. "He thinks that no harm can befall his castle while he is protecting it."  
  
Kagome looked up at Emi, chewing her bottom lip in confusion. "But isn't that dangerous? To just assume that you're safe can lead to disaster."  
  
"Well, Lord Shima is probably the strongest demon in this land, and maybe even farther. He has a right to be confident. He has never faced an opponent that he couldn't defeat, and he has two sons to back him up." She sat down next to Kagome, becoming too engrossed in the conversation to realize what she was doing. No maid was ever allowed to be so casual with the guests, or sit on the master's bed. There was also the fact that she had called her King 'cocky'.  
  
"It's still not safe to be that way! You must always be aware that an enemy could somehow find your weakness and attack!" Kagome said loudly, as she threw her arms in the air, trying to get her point across.  
  
Emi looked at Kagome with newfound respect. Finally she had found someone with common sense at this place! Most people were all too confident and never bothered to think that someone would dare attack the land.  
  
Kagome was about to add more, but was interrupted by a booming knock on the door.  
  
Hopping to her feet and straightening her skirt, Emi went to the door. But she didn't open it. "I'm sorry. Lord Inuyasha does not want guests in his room at this time."  
  
"It's me. Let me in now!"  
  
The maid noticed Inuyasha's voice, but decided to look in the small looking hole in the door. Opening the circular wooden plug in the door, she stood on her tiptoes, looking through the glass. She saw a slightly distorted vision of an impatient Inuyasha in the curved glass.  
  
She opened the door, getting out of his way, and looked at the floor submissively.  
  
Inuyasha came into his room, feeling a bit peeved. He wasn't fond of the way his parents had made sure that he was 'mature enough' to have a pup. 'Why couldn't they have just asked me? I would have told th-'  
  
His pondering automatically stopped when he caught sight of Kagome. She looked stunning to say the least, much better than she had looked when she had first been taken to the palace. She smiled shyly at him as she tucked her hair behind her ears.  
  
His mouth seemed incapable of working, having gone completely dry. For a while, all he could do was stare.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome realized that it was the first time that she had said his name. It seemed to just roll off her tongue. She liked it.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head, forcing himself to come to his senses. "K-keh! At least you don't look and smell so bad."  
  
Kagome's first instinct was to get angry at the rather rude comment. But then she saw the expression on Inuyasha's face, and knew that he had given her something as close to a compliment that he could probably give. "Thanks...I guess."  
  
Looking away from her, Inuyasha tried to hide the light blush that was spreading up his face. He turned to the maid, who was still standing in the room. "Go prepare a guest bedroom for her."  
  
Emi bowed and left the room, leaving them alone.  
  
"My parents are fine with you staying here, and keeping the pup," Inuyasha said, still not looking at Kagome. "They were just 'testing' me."  
  
Kagome felt enormous relief. "Testing you?"  
  
"Yeah. Something about me being responsible enough to have a pup or something..."  
  
She nodded, but gave him a strange look. "Why do you keep calling the baby a pup?"  
  
Inuyasha frowned in confusion, and turned back to her. "What else would I call it? You haven't named it yet, have you?"  
  
"Well no..." Kagome picked at the silk bedding, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his penetrating golden gaze. "I've just never heard a baby called anything other than a baby."  
  
"It means the same thing. I guess it's a dog demon thing. Do you not like me calling it that?"  
  
Kagome smiled. "No, I like it. I think it's cute."  
  
His blush deepened and he turned away again. "Whatever." He remembered how sick she had looked when he had first brought her to his room, and was relieved to see that she looked much happier and healthier, but he didn't dare voice that aloud.  
  
Kagome yawned, and swayed a little, having to throw her hand back to catch herself. She was tired. All of the excitement had numbed her sleepiness, but now it was coming back in full force.  
  
A timid knock came to their ears. Inuyasha went to the door, and opened it.  
  
Emi stood in the doorframe, holding a dirty rag. She bowed. "I found a suitable room that will be sure to fit Kagome's needs just down the hall, my lord."  
  
Looking at Kagome's tired form, Inuyasha nodded. "Take her there and make sure she goes to sleep. Send two guards to stand guard by her door. Not the human guards. Send for the demon guards. Tell them not to let her out until I say she can." He didn't want to take any chances. If Kuro was right, then Kagome could be in a good deal of danger. He didn't want to risk leaving her and the pup unprotected.  
  
Kagome wasn't paying any attention to him any more. Her vision swam, and she felt lightheaded. She didn't know if she could stay awake any longer.  
  
"My lady." Emi temporarily switched back to talking formally to Kagome, knowing that Inuyasha would not be pleased if he heard a maid talking casually to her. She gently grabbed Kagome's hand and led her to the door. "I'm going to take you to your new room now so you can sleep, all right?"  
  
Kagome blearily noted that the halls seemed never-ending, and all of the different doors that led to who knows where as she was guided to her room.  
  
Emi took a key out of her pocked and used it to open a large wooden door. She steered Kagome inside. "This will be your room for now. I hope you find it comfortable." She patted Kagome's shoulder comfortingly. "If you need anything, ask for me."  
  
"Okay," said Kagome as she stifled a jaw-cracking yawn. She tried to hide the disgust from her face when she looked around. Everything was pink and frilly. She had nothing against pink or frilly things, but when it was used in such quantities, it made her want to gag.  
  
Emi left, shutting the door quietly behind her.  
  
Walking over to the bed, Kagome noticed that the covers had been pulled back for her. She slid herself under them, and fell asleep before she even put her head on the pillow.  
  
-  
  
Kagome woke up to find that her mouth was completely dry. She sat up and was suddenly overcome with nausea. She held her stomach, and looked around. Spotting the bathroom that was connected to her room, she ran for it, barely making it in time. She held the sides of the toilet as she emptied her stomach of its contents.  
  
When she was through coughing and hacking, she looked at her chewed up dinner in disgust. She smiled wryly at her bad luck. "When I finally manage to have a good meal, I just have to throw it up."  
  
She left the bathroom, feeling slightly better than earlier. Deciding that she didn't want to sleep anymore, she opened the bedroom door, ready to explore the palace, and maybe get a tour from Emi. But when she tried to leave the room something caught her by the arm.  
  
She looked and saw a male dog demon with silvery hair that came to his shoulders, and piercing yellow-golden eyes. His clawed hand had a firm grip on her arm. "Hey, kid! You're not allowed to leave your room until master Inuyasha gives permission."  
  
Her cheeks reddened in outrage. "What? I can't leave the room until he says I can?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry kid," said a female dog youkai on the other side of the doorframe. She had the same short hair as the other demon. "We were sent here to make sure no one comes in and no one comes out."  
  
Kagome stomped her foot, enraged that Inuyasha would have her caged like a bird until he felt it convenient to let her out. She was about to yell at them to let her out, but then decided against it. She knew that they were paid to guard, and wouldn't abandon their post. She went back inside, slamming the door in the process.  
  
What was she supposed to do now? She looked through the room, trying to find something to entertain her until Inuyasha came.  
  
All there was in the room was a bed, a dresser, an empty closet, a lamp, and a small shelf full of books.  
  
She grabbed the first book that she saw, finding nothing else to do. She looked at the title, which read "The Enchanted Fairy".  
  
Flopping herself down on the silky pink sheets, she began reading.  
  
When she was only a few pages into it, there was a knock on the door. Kagome placed the book upside down to keep her page, then opened the door.  
  
Emi was standing there, holding a tray of breakfast, and glaring at the guards. When she saw Kagome, she smiled a bit, and tried to go into the room.  
  
"You can't go in the room!" The male demon stood protectively in front of the door where Kagome stood. "You can leave the food with us, and we'll give it to her."  
  
Sighing, and giving Kagome an apologetic look, Emi started to hand the food to Kagome, but it was intercepted by the female dog demon.  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Kagome. Her stomach was growling, showing its eagerness for the scrumptious smelling food, even if she was still slightly sick. She felt as though she hadn't eaten in weeks.  
  
The female dog youkai gave Emi a suspicious look, and sniffed the food.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm seeing if there is any scent of poison. Lord Inuyasha said to make sure to check your food for it." She took another long sniff. "It seems good enough to me."  
  
She handed Kagome the tray of food, and Kagome took it eagerly. She gave Emi a small smile before once again retreating into her room.  
  
Setting the tray down on the bed, she began eating Indian style, with her legs crossed. Her breakfast consisted of two eggs, sausage, bacon, and a couple of pieces of buttered toast. She downed it so fast that it was gone in less than three minutes. Kagome was startled with herself. She wasn't really one to eat in large quantities. "Well, what can you expect? Kuro said that I'm already one month pregnant.'  
  
She set the tray aside, and, with nothing else to do, indulged herself back into her book.  
  
A couple of hours later, Kagome slammed the book shut. She was tired of just sitting there, doing nothing. She was used to always either traveling or working, and although she did like to just relax, she didn't want to do nothing. She wanted to be back outside and stretch her legs a little. Kagome had always loved being outside. When she had free time, she would just sit under the warm sun and bask while listening to the wildlife around her.  
  
She was starting to sweat, and was feeling claustrophobic. 'I have to get out of this room, or I'm going to go crazy!'  
  
Spotting a window, she ran to it and opened it. She felt relieved when the breeze came across her face. She sighed, and just stood there for a while.  
  
When she looked down, she saw a lattice that came all the way up to her room. It was full of some kind of green-leafed vine. She looked around the yard, and didn't see anyone outside in the gardens. 'I wonder if this could hold me...'  
  
Holding onto the windowsill, she tested her weight on the lattice. It creaked a little from under her, but was otherwise sturdy. She let go of the window and started lowering herself down.  
  
To the normal person, it would have been a scary experience, climbing down a three-story wall. But Kagome was more than used to climbing, because of her travels.  
  
She managed to get to the bottom without trouble. She wasn't sure what to do, now that she was free.  
  
Spotting the stables, she decided to go and see the horses. She had never been able to afford a horse for herself, but she had at one time had a job as a stable boy where she would spend all day with them. She had grown to like them, and she had worked with them very well. All of the horses she had encountered had allowed her to ride them easily, never giving her a hard time.  
  
When she got there, she looked at all of the beautiful horses. There were horses of all different colors and sizes. One particular horse caught her eye. It was the most beautiful horse she had ever seen. It was a pure white female with dark violet eyes. Even its hooves were white. It seemed to have a fire in its eyes, and Kagome liked that. She preferred a horse with spirit against a subdued one.  
  
She went to the horse, and stood by its stall. The horse backed away a little bit, and neighed, apparently untrusting of her.  
  
"Come here," she called soothingly, as she held her hand out.  
  
The horse took one step forward, but still kept its distance.  
  
Kagome extended her arm out and clucked her tongue a couple of times. "Come here, girl."  
  
Slowly, the horse walked up to her, and allowed Kagome to pet its long snout. But its muscles were tense, ready to bolt away at the slightest sign of danger.  
  
Kagome began petting its ears, and the animal slowly relaxed from her touch. "Well, you're a good girl, aren't you?" Kagome asked it in a sweet voice.  
  
The horse nickered and threw its head back, as though answering her question.  
  
Smiling, Kagome rubbed its nose. The horse leaned into her touch, all thoughts of running away gone from its mind.  
  
"What are you doing?!"  
  
Kagome jumped slightly, and turned towards the source of the soft, masculine voice. Behind her, there was a boy with short, brown hair. He was wearing long overalls and boots. He had a shocked look on his face as he ran up to her.  
  
Kagome lifted an eyebrow. "I'm petting the horse. What's wrong with that?"  
  
The boy looked between her and the horse, his mouth wide open. "How did you do that?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"How did you get the horse to act that way." He scratched his head. "How did you get her to come to you."  
  
She looked at him as though he had lost his mind. "I called her. What else would I do?"  
  
The boy looked at her, just noticing that she was wearing royal clothes. In his excitement he hadn't noticed. "I'm sorry, my lady. I shouldn't be addressing you so." He bowed in apology.  
  
Kagome was startled by the change of topics. She looked down at her blue kimono, and then back at the boy. 'He must think that I'm royalty because of my outfit...'  
  
She lifted his chin with her finger, forcing him to straighten up and look at her. "The name's Kagome. You have every right to talk to me."  
  
His face brightened a bit. "Are you the one that Inuyasha brought here? The one that is having his baby?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "How did you know?"  
  
"Well, word spreads like wildfire around the palace. Everyone knows about you."  
  
"Oh." She felt the horse nudge her hand, trying to get her to pet it again. "So...what's your name?"  
  
He shuffled his feet a little. "Hojo. I'm the stable boy." He looked at the content horse that was currently being patted by Kagome. "That horse has never cooperated with anyone before. She usually doesn't let people near her. Nobody has ever been able to ride her yet. I've never seen her warm up to someone like this."  
  
"I guess I have a way with horses. I used to work with horses too. I've always liked them," said Kagome with a shrug.  
  
"Well, would you like to see some more horses? I could give you a tour. This place has over a hundred." Hojo blushed as he looked at the ground.  
  
Kagome smiled at his blush. "Okay. Show me around."  
  
-  
  
Wow! That was the longest chapter that I have ever written! Ten pages! That may not seem like a lot to you guys, but it's quite the accomplishment for me! I hope that you enjoyed. I'm expecting some good reviews for such a long chapter! And yes, Kagome is getting the dreaded morning sickness! There will be more changes with her as the story progresses. As soon as I get all of the settings and people in, the story is going to speed up a little, because it takes a while before you have a baby! ;)  
  
Lima S


	5. The Council

Well, I'm updating this story...again. I am totally sorry to my survivor fans. I really am. But for some reason I've had a major writer's block with that one since chapter two. The main reason is that there are two ways the story could go, and I'm having trouble deciding which. Until I decide, the story can't go anywhere, really.  
  
Another good Kagome pregnancy story is Early December: by Maiden of the Moon. It's really cute.  
  
Review Responses-  
  
some girl's anthem- Thank you for adding me to your favorites! ;) I appreciate it. I'm glad you like my story so far, and I hope you keep liking it.  
  
lazy lady- Yep. The horsey is wonderfully white! Bla Bla Bla...all done!  
  
Dragon Man 180- Hrmm....::crawls under rock:: Hojo won't be too much of a problem...  
  
Inu-babe666- You seem to really want a new chapter! Well, here it is! (;  
  
FieryDemonFox-The email must have traveled slowly. (: I'm happy that you like it so far!  
  
OceanBreeze777- You are so welcome! You inspired it, so I just had to dedicate it to you. Crap! Thank you for reminding me to give the horse a name! For some odd reason that totally slipped my mind. You'll probably see its name somewhere in this.  
  
Inuyashalove-I'm glad you like the characters personalities so far. ;) Hojo being the stable boy just seemed to fit in so well!  
  
Die Kikyo Die-Very...erm...interesting screen name! ( I'm glad you like! Here's the new chapter!  
  
MichelleAnneSummers- I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! ;)  
  
Kostos-I don't think Inu will be particularly pleased with Kagome... Glad you liked it! Oh! And I didn't send you this chapter to proofread because I wanted to get it posted today, and my yahoo account is jacking up on me. I'll give you a break this time!

Rushyuo-You'll just have to read what horseys Kag'll see! Thanks for the review.  
  
seida02-Glad you liked the chapter! I updated! Thanks for the review!  
  
The Shikon Child  
  
Chapter 5- The council  
  
-  
  
Inuyasha tapped his long nails on the large oak table, making a sort of offbeat rhythm. He sighed, wondering how long he had to wait for the rest of the council, which was composed of all of the bordering country's leaders, to get there. His parents had called the council, along with Kikyo and her father, to come and help them sort this affair. It was illegal for royalty to abandon their mate for another, but these were irregular circumstances, considering that Inuyasha hadn't actually mated with anyone.  
  
Miroku, who was standing behind Inuyasha, started to jangle the golden rings on his staff in beat with Inuyasha's tapping. He was much happier than he had been earlier. To Miroku's luck, The King and Queen had been so preoccupied with Inuyasha's current situation that they had totally forgotten to deal with him and his nasty habit of abandoning his job to flirt.  
  
Caught up in the rhythm, Inutaisho started tapping his foot, adding his own musical touch to the group.  
  
They went on for a couple of minutes, caught in a kind of bored amusement, but stopped when they heard a small cough.  
  
Izayoi was standing in the doorway, one of her thin, elegant eyebrows arched in questioning at their weird behavior.  
  
Inutaisho flushed and stomped his foot on the ground a couple of times. "Damn those bugs...we really do need to get a pest exterminator in here..."  
  
She shook her head at her husband's antics. He could be very comic at times... "Lord Kenta and Lady Kikyo just pulled up, and so did Lady Yuri and Lords Kiyoshi, Masuyo, and Nori. The rest should be here soon." She shuddered a bit. "Lord Naraku came too. What a creepy man..."  
  
Inutaisho nodded, and straightened up, preparing himself for the arrival of his guests. "Send them in."  
  
A few minutes later, a horde of people entered the room. They were all dressed in luxurious clothes, showing that they were nothing lower than the highest of rank.  
  
Inuyasha looked up from the wooden table, and let his amber gaze fall on every guest. He did a double take when he spotted the only woman in the room. She looked exactly like Kagome, with only a few small differences. Her hair was slightly longer and straighter, and her eyes were more slitted and icy. She also had extremely pale skin, as though she had never set foot under the sun's rays.  
  
She saw him looking at her and gave him a small nod before sitting down next to her father, right across from Inuyasha.  
  
Inuyasha's gaze also fell upon a demon who had chosen to stand in a shaded corner, rather than take a seat at the table like the rest. He had a dark appearance. His long, dark hair went to his waist and his eyes had a hint of red in them, giving him an ominous look.  
  
When all of the council members, except Naraku, had taken their seats, Inutaisho cleared his throat. "I'm glad that you all were able to make it to this meeting. I called this meeting to discuss the situation at hand..."  
  
Inuyasha's eyes clouded over, totally ignoring his father's speech. He knew that he should be listening. The whole meeting was about him. But he knew that he could wait until it was over, and then ask Miroku what the council had concluded.  
  
An hour, many yawns, and a huge headache later, Inuyasha was relieved to hear the shuffling of feet and the screeching of chairs. The meeting was finally over. He was surprised that they hadn't called on him to say anything, but guessed that they didn't really care what he had to say. It was a matter of law, not opinion.  
  
Miroku, who knew that Inuyasha hadn't listened to one word that the council said, leaned over and muttered into Inuyasha's ear. "You aren't obligated to marry Kagome. You are free to find any mate you wish. The only thing you are required to do is provide food and shelter for the girl and the child."  
  
Inuyasha felt relieved, as though some weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He really wasn't ready to be married yet. He looked at his dad, who was the only one besides him and Miroku that remained in the room. He had a sour look on his face. "What's up?"  
  
"Oh, It's nothing." He got out of his chair. "You do remember the alliance we made with the Kenta's, right?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded. The relief he had been feeling evaporated. Now that he didn't have to marry Kagome, he had to marry Kikyo. Great.  
  
"Well, if you ever choose to break the alliance, I'll back you up." His golden eyes softened. "I don't believe in arranged marriages. Never have."  
  
Taken aback, Inuyasha openly goggled at his father. "But didn't you guys make that alliance so our people would stay in peace with theirs.... To make sure that the war that was threatening to come not happen?"  
  
Inutaisho nodded, long silver strands of hair falling from behind his pointy ears. "But we can handle ourselves in a war. If you really want someone else besides Kikyo as a mate, we'll easily survive." He regained is posture, and his eyes hardened. "But I do suggest that you at least try to get along with Kikyo. It would prevent a lot of lives from being sacrificed."  
  
With that said, Inutaisho left the room, leaving Inuyasha alone with Miroku.  
  
Deciding that he probably needed to check on Kagome, Inuyasha got up and walked to the door. Miroku followed too, and got in step behind him. But before Inuyasha had a chance to even touch the handle, the door swung open, slamming right into his nose.  
  
Inuyasha recoiled, and held his now bleeding nose. "What the hell?"  
  
"Oh!" said the female dog demon with choppy, short hair that just entered the room. "I'm so sorry!"  
  
"You'd better have a hell of a good reason for bursting in here like that!" yelled Inuyasha.  
  
"I do! It's Kagome! Me and my brother were guarding the kid, as you ordered, and when we opened the door to give her lunch, she wasn't in there! She had climbed out of the window!"  
  
-  
  
The pearly white horse grabbed on to Kagome's kimono with its dull but strong teeth, obviously not wanting her to leave.  
  
Kagome smiled and patted its head. "You don't want me to go?"  
  
"She's grown attached to you," said Hojo, still amazed that the horse was actually letting someone touch it. "I still have no clue how you got her to warm up to you so much."  
  
"Why did lord Shima buy her if she didn't cooperate well with others?"  
  
"He didn't buy her," said Hojo thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "She was a gift from some foreign king. He said that she was the best of her breed. He called her angel, though we never quite understood why. She acts more like a little devil than an angel most of the time."  
  
Angel shook her head, as though denying his accusation.  
  
Kagome laughed, and gave her one last pat before turning back to Hojo. "So, you were going to show me around?"  
  
"Yes!" said Hojo quickly. He grabbed her wrist and led her through the hall between the stalls.  
  
Kagome thoroughly enjoyed herself as he showed her all of the different horses. There were so many different kinds. There were ones so tall that their giant heads nearly hit the ceiling, and ones so small that they barely came up to Kagome's knees.  
  
They soon came to a small stall that held a small brown foal. "Ooh! That one's so cute!" Kagome yelled in delight, her chocolate eyes sparkling.  
  
Hojo looked in the stall that she was pointing at and smiled. "Her name's precious. She's a rare breed. We just got her yesterday. We wanted her earlier, but the breeders said that they didn't want her taken from her mom so early."  
  
"Can I see her?"  
  
"Well..." muttered Hojo, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "She's just gotten here and I don't want to scare her..."  
  
"She won't be scared." Kagome grabbed his shoulder and gripped it soothingly, hoping to win him over so she could pet the adorable foal. "You seem to handle horses very well."  
  
Blushing ten shades of red, Hojo muttered something like "I guess it wouldn't hurt" and opened the small door.  
  
He walked in the stall, still muttering something, and not really paying attention to what he was doing. But before he reached the baby horse, he slipped on a pile of horse dung. His arms windmilled as he tried to keep his balance on the slippery feces. His effort was in vain however, and he fell on the hey-strewn ground with a loud THUMP.  
  
Kagome put her hand to her mouth, caught between laughing and seeing if the poor stable boy was okay. "A-are you all right?"  
  
Hojo looked up at her with an embarrassed smile, his face, if possible, going a shade darker. "I'm fine."  
  
Not being able to hold her mirth in any longer, Kagome burst out in laughter, holding the wall for support. She was laughing so hard that tears started leaking out of her closed eyes.  
  
Hojo chuckled a little too, though he clearly didn't find that falling in horse poop as hilarious as she did.  
  
"I-I-I'm so sorry," Kagome gasped between a bout of giggles. But her words seemed to make the experience all the more funny to her, because she started laughing even harder, holding the stitch that had started forming in her side.  
  
Hojo was about to try to attempt to calm her a little, but was cut off by a livid voice.

"KAGOME!"  
  
Kagome immediately stopped laughing and stiffened. She knew the owner of that voice and she also knew that the hanyou wasn't going to be happy with her.Looking up, she saw Inuyasha speeding towards her. His cheeks were red and he was breathing like a winded rhinoceros.  
  
She bit her lip, but tried to form a smile. "Uh, hey Inuyasha."  
  
Hojo looked between the two, wondering whether he should do something, but quickly abandoned the idea and fled because of the death glare that the hanyou sent his way.  
  
"Why in the seven HELLS did you run away!?"  
  
Kagome's instincts told her to run and hide, but she pushed them stubbornly away, standing her ground. "I wasn't running away!"  
  
Inuyasha gave her a disbelieving glare. "Then why were you in the stables, and not in your room like you were supposed to be?"  
  
"Because I wanted to get out! I didn't want to stay cooped up in my room for hours on end with nothing to do!"  
  
He closed his eyes and balled his fists. "Did you ONCE consider that while you made your little trip down the castle wall that you could have fell, and killed not only yourself, but the pup too?"  
  
Kagome hadn't thought of it that way... "But I didn't-,"  
  
"And there's the fact that you left yourself vulnerable to the people will be after you to get the damn jewel that's supposedly in the baby!"  
  
"I-I didn't think-,"  
  
"I know you didn't think!"  
  
Kagome's bottom lip trembled, and her chocolate orbs were glittering with unshed tears. She cursed herself for showing him her weak side, but she just couldn't stop the tears from coming, no matter what she tried. She couldn't control her racing emotions, as she normally did easily.  
  
Inuyasha watched in horror as the girl in front of him started to silently shed tears. "Hey girl! Don't start crying!"  
  
"I-I'm not trying to!" wailed Kagome as she wiped her tears on her kimono. "All I wanted was something to do! I was bored, and I felt trapped! I don't want to never be able to leave my room!"  
  
Inuyasha looked around, as if searching for a sign to tell him how to get the girl to stop balling. Finally a solution came to mind. "If I arrange for you to be able to leave your room more often, will you quit crying?"  
  
Kagome looked as though she was about to agree to the deal, but then she apparently decided against it, because she let out a sob louder than ever. "How can I quit crying when I know that I endangered my baby's life?!"  
  
Great, now Inuyasha was feeling guilty for making her feel guilty. He awkwardly patted her back, trying to comfort her. "It's okay. You and the pup are fine. It doesn't matter now. Let's just go back to the castle."  
  
Kagome nodded, trying to stifle the sobs that were threatening to break loose. She definitely wasn't used to this pregnancy thing. If she endangered her life, she would endanger the baby's life too. Kagome mentally vowed to never do something like that again.  
  
Inuyasha led her through the gardens in the direction of the large front double door, and Kagome's spirit soared at the thought that she would finally get to explore more of the palace.  
  
With a great heave, he opened the doors. Kagome gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth. She had thought that Inuyasha's room was huge, but this room easily dwarfed it.  
  
There were a couple dozen demons and humans who were obviously of great importance chatting merrily with each other. They had on such extravagant clothes that Kagome, still in the blue kimono, looked nothing better than a peasant in comparison. Some were holding beautifully designed crystal drinking glasses, taking delicate sips, their pinkies sticking outward. Many turned to Kagome and Inuyasha, having heard the door creek open.  
  
"Why hello!" said a rather large demon, who beamed at the pair. He had two rounded ears at the top of his head that were covered in gray fur, which was the same color as his long hair, and a nose that stuck out irregularly far from his face. He was a mouse demon. He turned to just Kagome, his friendly smile widening, and offered her his large, pudgy hand to her. "You must be the famous Kagome that we've been hearing about!"  
  
Kagome smiled back awkwardly, hoping that all traces of her crying were gone from her face, and shook his hand. She wondered how he knew about her, but figuring that probably everybody at the castle knew about her if even the stable boy had caught wind of her. "Er, hello."  
  
He turned to Inuyasha, and whispered in his ear. "You got quite a catch there, sonny. You may just want to keep her as your mate, eh?"  
  
Inuyasha blushed furiously, glad that the demon had whispered the comment so Kagome couldn't hear it. "Keh."  
  
The demon chuckled happily and clapped Inuyasha on the back. "Well, I'll be off," he said as he headed toward another group of people to chat.  
  
"Come on," said Inuyasha as he lead Kagome through the small crowd of people littering the room. "Let's just go."  
  
Before they had made their way through the room, someone caught Kagome by the arm, spinning her around.  
  
Kagome gasped. The dragon-shaped birthmark on her hand felt as though it was on fire. She looked at the man who held her arm, and nearly ran away in fear. He was the scariest person she had ever laid eyes upon.  
  
Inuyasha instantly recognized him as the demon who had stood in the shadows while the council was in session. He had to hold back a growl when he saw Kagome wince in pain from contact.  
  
The demon released her arm, a slightly sadistic smile playing at his lips. "So you're Kagome. My name is Naraku." His eyes traveled to her stomach, and then placed his finger on it, which instantly sent spasms of pain through Kagome, making her recoil in pain. "And that must be 'The Shikon Child.'"  
  
Inuyasha didn't contain his growl this time. He pushed the scared Kagome behind him. "Get the hell away from her."  
  
"Already attached?" Naraku snarled viscously. "Well, if you ever get tired of the whore, send her to me."  
  
That was the last straw. Inuyasha leapt at him, but before he reached him, Miroku appeared out of nowhere and held his staff in front of Naraku, preventing Inuyasha from getting to him.  
  
All of the people had turned towards the quarrel. Most of the demons were glaring at Naraku, their heightened senses allowing them to hear the conversation from all the way across the room. Even the humans looked mad. Apparently Naraku didn't have a good reputation.  
  
"I suggest you leave right now," said Miroku calmly, though his eyes held a deep hatred for the man standing before him.  
  
Naraku's smile widened. He gestured toward Miroku's beaded hand. "So, how are you enjoying the family curse?"  
  
"I said leave," said Miroku, his voice still calm, but dripping with venom.  
  
"Fine." Naraku took one last lustful glance towards Kagome. "But I'll be back for her. You can be sure of that," he said before vanishing with a loud POP, leaving a gust of smoke in his place.  
  
-  
  
Soooo tired. ZZzzzzz. What a dramatic chapter! (: I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. It was shorter than the last chapter, but I want to get this posted today, because I don't think that I will get much of a chance to work for a while. Busy busy me. I didn't get the opportunity to get this to my beta, so sorry for mistakes.  
  
Review?  
  
Lima S


	6. Kagome's Powers

I do not own Inuyasha or his wondrously cute ears!

AN-Wow! I got a huge response for the last chapter! Thank you thank you thank you for your wonderful reviews! They really motivate me.

I'm finally back from my sister's. I really enjoy being with her, but I'm super glad to be home.

I'm having trouble choosing the gender of the baby, so I thought that I'd let you guys decide! So either email me or review me and tell me if you want the baby to be a boy or a girl!

I'm going to go back and change Inuyasha's dad to Inutaisho when I get the time . Sorry for the confusion. Now his name will be Inutaisho Shima.

Review Responses-

BakaBokken- I used to not read AU's, but when I started reading them, they became my favorite stories! ( ; I'm glad that you are enjoying my story. Just ignore my typos. I usually write my fanfiction at night, and I tend to be too lazy to double-check over my work.

InuYashaLove- I do tend to add drama in my stories, hence the genre. ( ; I'm happy you liked the chapter.

HPangel589- Yeah, Naraku wanting Kagome is a bit scary. Poor Kag. ( : Thanks for the review!

seida02- Yep, Naraku is a meanie in this fic. Ill's trying to keep him in character. I'm glad you liked the chapter!

MichelleAnneSummers-Naraku is a bit freaky, but that's what makes him such a good bad guy! : ) Thanks for the review, I'll try to update more if possible.

Fruitpeach-I'm happy that you think that my fic is awesome! You are too kind! ; )

Die Kikyo Die- Naraku's your new grudge? Lol! I'm glad you liked the thing with Hojo. I had a fun time writing it.

A.K.- You love my fic? Thank you! You flatter me! Thanks for the review.

Lazy Lady- Your animal names inspired my writing! I just had to add them in there somewhere! --

DraGonMistress704- ::hands you metal pole:: You don't even have to wait until he hurts Kag to hit him. Just do it whenever you please. He deserves it.

Dragon Man 180- Miroku had to do his job! ( : But It still would have been nice to have Inu rip into Naraku...though it wouldn't have gone along with the plot very well.

Seelin- You're so sweet! Thanks. I really do try to keep my them in character. Thanks for the review.

Hinoiri-Maiden- I haven't read any good fanfictions for a while either. Most seem to suck right now. Thanks for reviewing.

The Forgotten Child- I try to have an original plot for the story, but it can be hard when there are so many Inuyasha fanfictions out there. : )

Kikiumetime- I'm not sure about how I'm going to make Kikyo's personality. I don't want her to be too evil, but I don't want her to be too good either...

PeterLeela- I'm glad you liked! Thanks for reviewing.

Dark Inu Fan- Yeah. I didn't get Inuyasha's dad's name right. I didn't know it at the time so I had to put another in its place. ::covers face in shame:: When I get the time, I'm going to go back and edit that. Sesshoumaru will probably make an appearance soon, but I don't know. I'm not quite sure yet.

i-love-inuyasha- I'm glad that you like. I'll definitely keep on writing, just maybe not in as fast of pace as some people would like...

Fierydemonfox-You can't wait for more? ( ; lol. I hope you keep enjoying!

Radhika14024- They'll probably start liking each other more when Kagome gets closer to labor. You love my story? Thank you! You are so sweet! ::blushes::

Snowecat- How in the world? How did you guess?!?! You're right. That's what she's going to be. Woah. That's creepy. ( : Well, that ruins the surprise! Ah well... Thanks for the review. ::curses reviewers who can read my mind:: ( ;

Inuyashasluvforever- Well, here's more for you!

DBZGirl202- Thanks for recommending me to BakaBokken! ;-) I'll probably explain why she had pain somewhere in this fic. Just hold on.

Kostos-I'm glad you understand. I don't want you to feel like I'm dissing you.

Mika-I'm glad you think my story is cool! Thanks for the review.

Brianne-You love my story? Thank you! And I'll put you down as a vote for a boy!

Anechan- I'm happy that you seem to like the way I write! Thanks for reviewing.

The Shikon Child 

Chapter 6-Kagome's powers

-

Kagome coughed, the smoke that Naraku had produced as a nice farewell present unpleasantly invading her lungs.

Inuyasha glared heatedly at Miroku through the slowly clearing cloud of smoke."Why did you stop me from ripping that filth to pieces!?"

Miroku frowned at him. "It's my job to protect you, Inuyasha. I wasn't going to let you pick a fight with one of the most terrible demons out there." Not waiting for Inuyasha's response, he turned to Kagome, a small smile forming on his face. "Are you okay?"

Kagome tried to smile back, but she was still feeling traumatized, so it came out as more of a grimace. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Inuyasha turned and looked at her. She looked the exact opposite of fine. Her face was extremely pale with a thin layer of sweat covering it. Her legs were starting to shake, and she looked as though she would collapse at any moment. "Come on. I'll take you to your room. You look horrible."

Kagome glared at him, but tried to keep her emotions under control. "Fine," she said huffily, as she headed for one of the many doors, leaving Inuyasha behind, and hoping it led to something interesting. She wasn't planning on going back to her 'cage' anytime soon.

She looked at the ground as she walked to the door, avoiding people's gazes and praying that Inuyasha wouldn't follow her. She didn't expect to run into something very solid.

"Woah!" Kagome almost fell back on impact. She looked at the person she had run into, and gasped. It was as though she were looking into a slightly disoriented mirror.

The woman who looked like Kagome glared at her as she started to wipe the wine that had spilled on her dress with a handkerchief.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going-."

"Obviously," said her lookalike, staring at her in a superior way.

There was an awkward silence that was suddenly broken when Inuyasha came over to them. "Kagome...this door leads to the training room." He pointed a clawed finger across the room to a different door. "That door leads to the stairs. You're on the third floor, remember?"

Kagome flushed a bit, but nodded.

"And who are you?" Inuyasha asked the woman who looked as though she could be Kagome's twin who had sat across from him during the council meeting.

The woman gave Inuyasha a weird look, and quirked an eyebrow. She looked as though she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "My name is Kenta. Kikyo Kenta."

Inuyasha's mouth suddenly went dry. She was the one that he was to be wedded to. Though she was quite beautiful, he couldn't quite imagine himself with someone like her. She looked perfect. She stood completely straight with her chin up. Confidence seemed to radiate off of her, making her seem quite intimidating.

He licked his lips, trying to moisten them up a bit. "So you're the one that-,"

"Is to be your mate," Kikyo finished his sentence abruptly, sending Kagome a small glare.

"Oh," said Inuyasha awkwardly. Then, remembering what his dad said about at least trying to get along, he took her milk-white hand in his and brought it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. Her hand was cold, he noted as he quickly pulled his lips away. "It's a- It's a pleasure to meet you, Kikyo."

Kagome watched the exchange with a twinge of jealousy. He was going to get married? To her? She thought she saw the corners of Kikyo's mouth twitch, as though trying to suppress a small smile.

Kikyo linked her arm in his. "I really do need a tour of the palace. I haven't gotten a chance to look around."

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome uncertainly, a small look of concern in his golden orbs. "I need to get Kagome-"

"I'll escort Lady Kagome to her quarters," said Miroku, who seemed to have popped there out of thin air.

"Okay..." said Inuyasha, feeling slightly put out. He had wanted to get out of giving Kikyo a tour. He would have to remember to pound Miroku later. He looked at the monk warily, before leaning closer and whispering. "You touch her and I'll cut your hands off."

A flicker of worry passed through Miroku's features. Then he smiled widely, giving his master a mock solute.

Inuyasha gave Kagome one last glance, then turned and led Kikyo to one of the many rooms.

"My name's Miroku," said the monk as he put his hand lightly on her back, urging her to walk with him.

Kagome looked at the man in dark violet robes who was currently leading her through a maze of halls and doors. "What's your job? Leading guests to their rooms?"

He chuckled lightly. "Nah. I'm Inuyasha's protector."

"If you're his protector, then why aren't you with him?" asked Kagome as she was pulled into another set of halls.

"When we're at the palace, I usually get sent off to do different jobs unless there's some type of special occasion like today when there are a lot of demons we don't know that are in the castle. But he probably wanted some time alone with Kikyo, so I abandoned my post. I'm always with him when he leaves the castle grounds to go somewhere though."

"Oh. I see."

They came to a door with bars running across it. Kagome could see a large, muscular, dog demon standing on the other side. He opened the door and Miroku pulled her in the enclosed space with him.

"What are we doing?" asked Kagome as the demon slid the door closed.

Miroku ignored her and turned the dog demon who seemed to have muscles on his muscles. "Third floor please."

The demon nodded, and put his arm on a large handle protruding out of the wall. He took the handle and started twisting it in a large circular motion, like a kid would a jack in the box.

Kagome nearly screamed when she felt the floor beneath her beginning to rise. She clutched Miroku's arm tightly. If she had been able to see through walls, she would have seen the large gears turning, making the small room rise higher.

When they made it to the third floor Miroku said thanks to the demon, who hadn't even broken out in a sweat, and pulled Kagome out.

"I've never seen anything like that!" she exclaimed as they walked down a familiar hallway.

Miroku smiled. "It beats going up and down the seemingly endless sets of stairs."

They finally made it to Kagome's room, and Kagome found herself greeted with angry glares from the sibling dog demons who were still stationed in front of her door.

"Well, I'll be leaving you. I've got to go make sure Inuyasha's not getting himself into trouble." He winked at her and turned around, heading in the direction that they had just come from.

Kagome began walking into her room, but was abruptly stopped by a clawed hand.

"Lord and lady Shima sent you a...gift for your arrival," said the female dog demon, who was standing guard against her doorframe.

There, standing in her room, was a woman with long black hair tied in a high ponytail. She had bright pink eyeshadow on, and was wearing a tight black suit. She was leaning on a large boomerang that was propped off of the ground.

The woman stared openly at her. "Hey."

Kagome searched for something intelligent to say, but all she managed was, "Er, hello?"

The lady stood up, crossed the room, and extended her hand out. "The name's Sango."

Kagome took her hand and shook it, noticing the iron-grip the woman possessed. "Kagome."

"I know that," said Sango with a wave of her hand. "Do you know why I'm here?"

Kagome blinked. "No..."

"I was sent by the lord and lady to be your protector."

"My protector?" Kagome's brow knitted in confusion.

"You could call me a bodyguard too. Whatever. They sent me here when they heard that you had 'escaped'."

"Sent you here? How did you get here on such short notice?"

Sango's lips quirked into a half-smile. "I've trained here since before I can remember. I've finally became of age to be somebody's protector."

"Oh," said Kagome, her spirits falling, knowing she would have no more chances of escape, but rising again at the prospect of having some company.

She was about to sit on the bed, but there was already something fuzzy sitting there.

"This is Kirara. She's my pet and assistant."

"She's so cute!" exclaimed Kagome as she reached picked up the small yellow cat and started petting it behind its ears. Kirara purred contentedly in her arms. "How could this kitten be your assistant? She's barely big enough to kill a mouse."

Sango grinned at the pair, glad that Kagome seemed to like her pet. It would be hard to keep Kirara around if she didn't like cats. "You'd be surprised."

Kagome sat on the bed, letting Kirara curl herself into a ball on her lap.

"You're pretty good with animals," said Sango. "Kirara usually doesn't attach herself to people so quickly."

Kagome watched the cat's eyelids close. She had fallen asleep. "I guess so."

-

"What did you find out when you went to Inutaisho's palace? Was the girl really pregnant with a child that contains the jewel?" asked a young woman with short, black hair and dark red eyes. She watched her master thumbed through the crinkled and torn pages of an ancient book.

For a while Naraku didn't answer, but he eventually marked his page in the book, and turned to his servant. "Yes, Kagura. I felt the presence of something very powerful within the fetus. It seems that the jewel is slowly growing as the baby grows, due to that girl's extraordinary power feeding it. That girl is somehow unknowingly making the jewel inside the baby. I don't think that the girl is even aware that she contains any powers."

"So why didn't you kill the girl and the baby, and take the jewel while you were there?" asked Kagura in a voice that barely contained her disgust and dislike for her master. She knew that Naraku would stoop as low as kill an innocent baby without an ounce of regret.

Naraku turned back to his book and started gently flipping through the pages again. "The jewel is miniscule now, only a small fraction of its potential. If I wait until the child is born, the Shikon will be much more powerful."

Kagura frowned. "What happens if someone else gets the same idea that you have? What if they want to steal the jewel?"

Naraku smiled slyly. "That's why I created your sister." He clapped his hands. "Kanna! Come!"

A small girl, who couldn't be older than seven, appeared instantly in front of him. Her clothes were completely white and her eyes were a dark brown. She was carrying a small mirror.

Naraku smiled at her, and motioned for her to come closer, which she did immediately. She kneeled at his feet.

"What do you need, master?" she asked slowly.

"Show me Kagome."

Kanna held her mirror up. At first it showed only Naraku's reflection, but then it turned into a blurred spiral of colors. The colors soon focused into an image of Kagome sitting on her bed, talking to another girl.

Naraku's smile widened as he watched the young girl lustfully. Then he turned his attention back to Kagura. "I don't plan on letting her out of my sight."

-

Kikyo's visit had only lasted a couple of days, though she was scheduled to come back in a month or so. Kagome hadn't seen anything out of Inuyasha. Sango had told her that he was known for leaving the palace with Miroku for days at a time without telling anyone first.

Kagome was put out that she hadn't even gotten to thank him for saving her earlier, but she soon got past that when Sango gave her a tour of the palace. There were rooms of all kinds everywhere, and Kagome didn't think that she would ever memorize where everything was.

She still had morning sickness, and it seemed to be growing into afternoon sickness as well. She was becoming more and more tired, and now she had a small spot on her stomach that was starting to grow out more than the rest. At first she had thought that it was from eating more than she normally ate, but seeing that none of the rest of her body was growing so fast, she knew that it was the baby.

Sango now slept on a small cot in Kagome's room. Kagome insisted that she share the bed with her, but Sango said that she had slept on worse, and she wasn't going to accept the offer.

Sango only left Kagome's side when Kagome was in the bathroom, but even then she would knock on the door every five minutes and ask if everything was all right or even come in and join Kagome if she needed a bath too.

Kagome really enjoyed Sango's company and they were becoming fast friends, but it still got a little annoying to be constantly supervised.

Today was the fourth day since she had been to the palace, and Kagome had been told by a servant that Lady Shima had ordered her to visit Kaede.

"Who's Kaede?" she asked Sango, who was currently guiding her trough the castle.

"She's the castle's healer. She's very good at what she does. I bet you were sent to her for a checkup on you and the baby."

They soon came upon a red wooden door, which Sango stopped at and knocked. "Kaede? Kagome's here."

There was some rustling coming from the room, before an old lady opened the door. She was short and a little overweight. She had a patch across one eye and long hair tied on a very low ponytail. "Come in child, come in."

"I'll wait out here," said Sango as Kagome followed the woman into the room.

Kagome looked around and saw hundreds of jars and boxes full of all different kinds of herbs and healing plants.

Kaede led her to the middle of the room. "Lay down on the mat, please."

Kagome complied, feeling slightly nervous. She looked at the tall, rock ceiling as Kaede started gathering random things from her shelves.

When she was finally done getting what she needed, Kaede sat cross-legged next to Kagome. "Do you know anything of demon pregnancy?"

Kagome searched her mind for anything she might know, but couldn't find anything. "No..."

"Well, it normally takes a demon baby only three to four months to become mature enough to be born." She scratched her head, trying to remember something. "And if I remember correctly, Inuyasha was born after only five months. So, I'm thinking that since you are now slightly over a month along, according on what Kuro said, your child should be due in about five to six more months."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. "Wha- What?! I'm giving birth that soon?"

Kaede shrugged. "Might be earlier, might be later. I don't really know." She put her wrinkled, leathery hand on Kagome's stomach and closed her eyes.

Kagome watched uncomfortably as Kaede's hand made small semicircles across her stomach. It wasn't as though it hurt her, but it was still weird having someone rub your stomach as they would a puppy.

When Kaede was finished, she lifted her hand and looked at Kagome in amazement. "You contain powers like no other, child."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that you're somehow making the jewel within your baby. I have no clue how you could possess a power so strong and not notice it."

Kagome scratched her head awkwardly. "I didn't know that I had any powers..."

Kaede looked at Kagome's hand curiously. "What is that mark on your hand?"

"Oh, it's a birthmark," said Kagome as she held out her hand that had the dragon-shaped mark on it.

Kaede took Kagome's hand in hers and instantly felt the power radiating from it. "This is peculiar. This birthmark seems to be the core of your powers, where all of your power is stored." She shook her head and grabbed some kind of plant that she had gotten from a shelf, and handed it to Kagome. "But that's not why we're here. Your baby seems perfectly healthy. You can chew these leaves to relieve the nausea that comes with morning sickness. It also helps cure headaches. I'll send for you to come back for another checkup in a couple of weeks. Until then, take it easy. Don't stress yourself."

Kagome smiled and picked up the plant. "All right. Thanks."

-

Hey. That was shorter than I wanted it to be, but I wanted to get it out today so you all will be able to read it by Sunday. Sorry for not adding much InuKag. I'll try to put a lot in for the next chapter. Don't forget to vote on whether you want the baby to be a boy or a girl! And I don't know if I'm going to be doing review responses anymore. I love talking to you guys, but it kind of cuts a chunk out of my writing time.


	7. Sesshomaru

I'm late again, eh? Sorry folks. School's taking up most of my free time. But on a happier note, I GOT MY COMPUTER BACK! Yes, just when I thought that my computer had died and gone to hell(It's evil I tell you!), my cousin managed to revive it for me. I have such a love hate relationship with my computer...

I changed my sn to FrozenSpark. I just really like that name...

Well, I haven't tallied up the votes yet, but I'm positive that so far the majority wants that baby to be a boy. But there are still a good few rooting for a girl too, so if you want baby to be a girl, speak up!

Oh, have any of you seen the first dubbed Inuyasha Movie? Oh my! It was so good! The animation seemed totally different though...But not in a bad way.

I went back through all of my chapters (which took like 3 hours!) and edited them. I have made so many mistakes! And now, since I lost my wonderful beta(I love you! Thanks for helping me!), I need someone else to edit my work. So if anyone out there has a knack for editing, I could sure use the help.

The only things that I've changed are- Inutaisho is now officially Inuyasha's dad's name. And Izayoi is his mom's name.(I never knew that. A reviewer just told me...) Inuyasha lives in a palace, not a castle. That's all I think.

I've decided that unfortunately, I won't do review responses anymore. I'll just answer some questions that were commonly asked.

-Isn't Kirara's name Kilala?

Well, that all depends whether you watch the japanese version or Adult Swim's dubbed version. It really doesn't matter. I just stick with the Japanese version because some people get a bit touchy when people use Kilala.

-Shouldn't Inuyasha and Kagome be spending more time together?

Be patient! Their time will come!

-Is Shippo going to be in this fic?

Yes, he will probably appear in the fic.

-Will Kuro be in the fic again?

Most likely!

-Why didn't you let Inuyasha kill Naraku? Why!

(-: If Naraku died, then there would be no plot! Silly people...

-Why don't you kill Kikyo?! She needs to die!

Alas, another person in my story that has to be there in order to have a plot.

Thanks for all of the reviews! I read and reread every one of them, and they really do inspire me! I love you guys! You are the greatest! I haven't had one flame yet! (Though I'm sure that I'll get some eventually...) I especially want to thank the reviewers who have reviewed nearly every chapter of my stories. Hugs reviewers

The Shikon Child-

Chapter 7- Sesshomaru (nice, eh? :-) I'm too tired to come up with something creative!)

-

Miroku patted his horse affectionately as he let it drink some water from a creek. He then walked towards his companion and flicked him on one of his soft, white ears.

"Ow!"

Miroku smiled pleasantly at the hanyou. "Quit whining." Inuyasha gave him an irritated glare, which would send even some of the bravest men back a step. But Miroku was immune to it from having to see it almost every day. He just continued smiling. "You know that your parents aren't going to be happy about you leaving for so long without telling them, especially with all that's been going on around the castle. You didn't even stay long enough to bid Kikyo farewell.

Inuyasha rubbed his offended ear. "There's too much going on. Too much stress."

Miroku's smile wilted a bit. "Yes. And instead of handling it like a man, you run away with your tail between your legs. How responsible."

Inuyasha grumbled as he led his black horse over to the creek to drink with Miroku's horse. Normally, Miroku enjoyed randomly leaving the palace with him for even weeks at a time. But ever since Inuyasha had told him that he wanted to get away from the palace for a while, Miroku had been reluctant. He acted like Inuyasha was abandoning Kagome for selfish reasons. And he wasn't! He just needed to get away...

"And you did promise to protect Kagome and your baby. Did you forget about that?"

"She is protected!" yelled Inuyasha. "Why do you think my parents hired Sango? To play tea-party with Kagome? And we have guards stationed all around the palace! That's what they're there for! To protect!"

Miroku rolled his eyes at Inuyasha's childish outburst. Instead of continuing the argument, he lifted himself up onto his horse's saddle and kicked its sides, making the horse start trotting away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" huffed Inuyasha.

"I'm going to the palace, Inuyasha. Where we should have been for the last couple of days."

Inuyasha let out a string of curses, and got on his horse too. Miroku always managed to make him feel guilty about the stupid things.

He didn't really want to be away from the castle. He mainly wanted to be away from Kikyo. He didn't hate Kikyo, but he still didn't want to marry the woman. Though he had tried to be respectful in the beginning, she had started grating on his nerves. She hated imperfection. When she saw anything out of place, or something that was dirty, she would order the nearest maid or worker to fix it. She was also constantly straightening his clothes, trying to subdue his fizzy, flyaway hair, and she even attempted to make his ears lie flat, which had made Inuyasha extremely angry. No one, except Miroku, dared touched his ears, knowing that it set Inuyasha off on a tantrum.

When Inuyasha caught up to him, Miroku sighed and turned to him. "Inuyasha, I know that life has gotten a little hard for you lately-."

"That's the understatement of the century."

"But," Miroku pressed on, his eyes boring into Inuyasha's "you can't run away from your problems. Kagome needs you now. And so does Kikyo. If you two are to be married, you're going to have to start getting along better with her."

Inuyasha grunted in acceptance.

A smile once again formed on Miroku's lips, giving him the charming look that he was known for. He leaned over towards Inuyasha and patted him on the head. "Good boy!"

-

Sango pushed herself off of the wall that she had been leaning against when she saw Kagome emerging from Kaede's room. "So, What'd she say?"

Kagome closed the door silently behind her. She turned to her protector, a small smile gracing her lips. "The baby is fine." She didn't tell her about how it was her fault that the baby had the jewel inside it, thinking that it was best to keep that bit of information secret.

"Well, that's good. What do you want to do now? We have a whole afternoon to waste."

"We could...." Kagome looked around, looking for something that would keep her and Sango entertained for the rest of the afternoon. She peered out of a nearby window, and caught sight of the garden that circled the palace. "We could walk in the garden and pick some flowers for our room."

Since Sango was constantly at Kagome's side, not even leaving when they slept, Kagome's room was basically both of theirs. Kagome didn't mind much. She rarely had anyone to talk to before she had come to the palace, and she enjoyed the company.

Sango nodded approvingly at the idea. "All right. I wouldn't mind getting out of the palace for a while. It'd be nice to get some fresh air."

They headed outside, Kagome in the lead.

Kagome was finally starting to memorize the maze of halls and rooms. Though she still didn't know how to get to half the places in the palace, she was still proud of herself for finding the places that she needed to go without much trouble. But if she did manage to get herself lost, Sango was always right behind her to point in the right direction.

The palace workers were beginning to warm up to Kagome. Unlike all of the other people of high stature, Kagome would chat with the maids, cooks, gardeners, and even the guards when she found the time. Though Kagome could tell that her actions were frowned upon by the Inutaisho family and their royal visitors, she still associated with the commoners and workers.

Kagome smiled at Sakura, a young lady who had managed to make her way to being head gardener by her hard work. She was ridding a small patch of pink flowers of the weeds that were threatening them.

Sakura, looking up from her work, managed to return the smile. "Hello, Lady Kagome."

"Hello Sakura. Having fun?"

Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her glove. Her large, beautiful blue eyes glared at the giant weed that she had just pulled out of the soil. "Nothing to complain about...Except these damn weeds. They've been popping out of the ground nonstop. I can hardly keep up with them!"

"I'm sure that you'll be able to kill them all," said Kagome, her smile widening.

Sakura grunted. She looked at the seemingly never-ending patches of weeds spread all throughout the gardens. She glared daggers at them all, as though thinking that she could scare them away. "They may have won the battle, but they won't win the war!"

Kagome and Sango giggled at the young woman's antics. Sakura could sometimes take her job a little too seriously.

"Who's that?" asked Sango as she pointed down the road leading to and from the castle.

Shading her eyes from the bright afternoon sun, Kagome looked in the direction that Sango was pointing in. She saw two people riding horses, coming up the road towards the palace.

Sango squinted. "I think the one with the black horse has white hair."

"Inuyasha?"

"I think so. It's probably him and Miroku, coming home to tell of their great adventures from the outside world," muttered Sango disapprovingly. "I'm going to club Miroku for letting Inuyasha leave the castle again!"

They both jogged towards the road, awaiting the two men.

Sango had a frown on her face, and her arms crossed. Kagome just stood there pleasantly, smoothing down her new dress that the palace tailor had made for her. It was a simple, yet still elegant, yellow dress with a square neckline. A silky, white bow wrapped around her waist, showing off her curves.

When Miroku and Inuyasha spotted them they trotted their way.

Miroku, who had arrived ahead of Inuyasha, gave Kagome his most charming grin. "You look lovely, Lady Kagome."

Kagome blushed slightly and brushed away the nonexistent wrinkles in her dress. "Thanks."

"Doesn't Lady Kagome look wonderful today, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as Inuyasha finally made his way over.

Inuyasha's face turned a darker shade than Kagome's. The yellow dress that she was wearing seemed to hit her curves in all the right places. He turned away, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I see that you've packed on a few pounds."

Miroku covered his face with his hands and shook his head. Leave it to Inuyasha to say something like that. No woman liked to be told that they were gaining weight. Obviously Inuyasha didn't know that unvoiced golden rule.

Kagome's smile instantly faded into an irritated frown. She clenched her fists and barred her teeth. Yes, she had gained weight, but she had thought that she had looked better for it. By Inuyasha's tone, it sounded as though he thought that she was turning into a whale.

Sango, sensing an argument coming on, stepped back a little, not wanting to be included in Kagome's wrath.

"You're such a jerk!" Kagome yelled, stamping her foot on the ground. She could feel her blood boiling. "You leave me, not telling anyone where you went. Then, two days later, you come back and tell me that I'm fat!"

Inuyasha looked taken back by her outburst. "I never called you fat, girl! All I said was you've packed on a few pounds! And you have!"

Miroku made a cutting gesture across his throat, trying to warn Inuyasha to stop before he got himself in more trouble.

Kagome's eyes narrowed into slits. She knew that she was letting her emotions get out of hand for such a small thing, but her raging hormones wouldn't let her back down. Her voice came as a hiss. "Well, at least my body has some shape to it! You're as scrawny as a twig. I bet that you couldn't even fight off a crippled child!"

Sango's eyes widened. She hadn't seen this side of Kagome before. Inuyasha seemed to always bring out the worst in people...

"What!?" yelled Inuyasha. "I hope you know, little girl, that I could fight off the most powerful-,"

"I don't want to hear your lies, you conceited dog!" Kagome screamed. Then she instantly shut her mouth with an audible pop. She had just called the prince of the land a conceited dog...oh crud. She stared at the enraged hanyou, her eyes widening in fear.

Inuyasha blinked owlishly, his mouth hanging slightly open. No woman had ever talked to him that way.

But before his shock could turn to anger, Inuyasha's ears perked at the sound of horns being blown from not far away. They were the horns announcing that someone of high rank was coming.

Miroku jumped at the chance to end their conversation. "I don't remember seeing someone behind us." He squinted down the road that he had came from only minutes ago.

Inuyasha stood perfectly still and sniffed the air. Then a low rumble seemed to be coming from his chest. He was growling.

Miroku looked at him in concern. "Who is it, Inuyasha?"

"Sesshomaru and at least a thousand men from his army. I can't believe that I hadn't smelled them before..."

"What's Sesshomaru doing here?" asked Sango. "We're not supposed to be getting a visit from him for a couple of months."

"The stupid bastard..." Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

Kagome's heart, which was pounding furiously in fear of how Inuyasha was going to react, slowed down a bit. She was relieved that Inuyasha had been distracted from their earlier conversation. "Who's Sesshomaru?"

"He's Inuyasha's older brother," said Sango.

Inuyasha huffed indignantly. "_Half _brother."

Kagome arched an eyebrow. "You don't seem to like him much."

Inuyasha grunted angrily. "No one would be proud of having a brother like him. He's heartless. Everyone knows that he's always going to be single and heiress because he doesn't want to have to bother with the emotions of having a wife and children."

"I'm sure that's not true," Kagome said soothingly, as though speaking to a child who was throwing a fit.

Sango shook her head. "Trust me Kagome, he's right. I knew Sesshomaru when he lived at the castle. He's as coldhearted as they come."

Miroku nodded. "That's why Lord and Lady Shima haven't had a grandchild until now, even though Sesshomaru is well past the age of having a mate.

Inuyasha's eyes instinctively darted to Kagome's stomach, as though ready to see his child pop out at any given moment. He noticed Kagome's questioning look and quickly darted his eyes elsewhere.

"Well, we'd better get inside. My parents will be getting a big ready for him," he said dully.

Kagome, who was about to leave with Sango, felt a clawed hand wrap around her wrist. She turned up to see Inuyasha gazing at her intently.

"You're coming with me." He motioned towards the palace with his free hand. "You'll be eating with me and the rest of the family."

Kagome had to stop her mouth from falling completely open. She mouthed wordlessly, not able to vocalize her astonishment.

Inuyasha's cocked his eyebrow in questioning. "What's wrong? Have you turned into a fish?"

"No!" said Kagome when she finally found her voice. She chewed her bottom lip nervously. "I-I can't eat with you and your family. I'm not good enough to eat at your royal table."

"Of coarse you're good enough to eat with us. Why wouldn't you be?" He easily pulled her onto her horse with him, ignoring her panicked yelp. "And it's not really a royal table. It's just a place where we eat. Nothing special."

Kagome rolled her eyes and blushed as she felt Inuyasha's arms touch her shoulders as he held the reigns, steering the black horse towards the stables. "Nothing special? The dining room is beautiful. The table is gigantic. The food is exquisite. It seems special enough to me..."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I guess that I'm just so used to it that it doesn't seem so great."

When Inuyasha had put his horse in its stall and made sure that he had food and water, he guided Kagome toward the castle. But instead of continuing the conversation, he stared ahead unseeing, his eyes slightly glazed over.

"You seem preoccupied," said Kagome softly, struggling to keep up with his strenuous pace.

Inuyasha slowed down a little, realizing that Kagome was practically jogging to stay in pace with him. "I just don't know why Sesshomaru's getting here so early. It's not like him to get here at a different time than he originally wanted to."

Kagome tucked some of her flyaway raven locks of hair behind her ear. "He's probably come to say something important then."

Inuyasha grunted agreeably. "Yeah. He wouldn't have come if it wasn't important. I just wander why he's brought over one thousand men from his army with him. He's ususally too arrogant and cocky to accept help from anyone most of the time. He usually just travels with his creepy little toad servant."

"Why doesn't your brother live at the palace like you? Isn't he the heir to the throne?"

Inuyasha snorted. "It'll be a while before my dad snuffs it. He'll be alive for at least one hundred more years, and probably much longer. My great granddad lived to be almost six hundred years old.

Kagome's eyes went wide. "Wow..."

"Sesshomaru wanted to get out of the palace and go out on his own." Inuyasha continued. "So my dad gave him the Western Lands to govern and protect."

"Your dad just gave him the Western Lands to do what he pleases with?"

Inuyasha frowned. "No, not exactly. My dad still has rule over the whole country, and can overrule Sesshomaru any time he wants. He still makes sure that the Western Lands are running smoothly. I think that he let Sesshomaru have the lands to give him some training for when he becomes the king."

Kagome nodded. "So, since your brother is heir to the throne, then what are you going to be?

"The war and army manager."

"War and army manager?"

"Yep. My dad has made me learn battle tactics since I was three."

"Really?"

Inuyasha nodded proudly.

Kagome followed him the rest of the way to the palace silently. She didn't know if she liked the idea of Inuyasha being the country's leader in battle. It sounded too dangerous.

Inuyasha led her in through the kitchens, which were so crowded with people preparing food that Kagome was ran into repeatedly. She noted, annoyed, that everyone seemed to naturally avoid hitting Inuyasha, as though he had an invisible barrier around himself.

Inuyasha stood in front of the door leading to the kitchen for a while, looking as though he was trying to collect himself. Then with a firm nod, he twisted the golden handle and opened the door.

Kagome gasped at what she saw beyond the open door.

-

Yes, I know. Too short! It really is. I was planning on writing more, but I really wanted to get this chapter out to you! You guys have been so patient and waited so long!

Oh, don't forget to vote whether you want the pup to be male of female!


	8. The Thinking Stone

It's been a while, eh? Hmmm…all I can say is I'm sorry and I'll try harder to update. Stupid school…But on a brighter note, I'm student of the month! I also managed to scrape by with a 4.1 GPA for semester, and I made it into the National Honor Society. Yay me!

Well, here you go!

The Shikon Child

Chapter 8-The Thinking Stone

-

At the end of the huge dining table was the most beautiful demon she had ever seen. He had long, silver-white hair, which was pulled to one side to ensure that he didn't sit on it. His eyes, which were a deep golden-yellow, were icy despite their color.

Kagome stood frozen on the spot. So _he_ was Sesshomaru. There was something about his authoritative, icy gaze that made her feel as though she shouldn't even breathe without his permission.

"Quit gawking at him. He's not _that _good looking." Inuyasha whispered irritably. She felt his hands press against her back and allowed him to guide her into a seat.

Izayoi, just noticing their arrival, smiled at Kagome. "Hello, Kagome. I'm sorry for not finding the time to visit you. We've been quite busy lately. I've wanted to ask you to forgive the atrocious behavior that my husband and I displayed upon your arrival." Her smile wavered, but she was able to fix it back in place. "We had our reasons, of course, but I still want to offer you an apology."

"I understand. It's fine. No hard feelings." Kagome took a long swig of a the sweet tasting juice that a servant had offered to her, trying to ignore the stares she was receiving from all around the table.

Luckily for Kagome, the stares turned when a young woman entered the room. Her shoulder-length hair seemed to bounce with every step. She had wide, brown eyes that gave her a naturally innocent look. "I'm back! Sorry it took me so long. You're halls are like a labyrinth! I finally had to ask a servant to guide me to the bathroom."

Sesshomaru instantly stood up, moving with catlike grace. He pulled the red-cushioned chair out from beside him.

"Thank you," she said sweetly. She sat in the chair and giggled when Sesshomaru pushed it in for her.

Inuyasha, who had taken his seat next to Kagome, stared at them with a mixture between disgust and disbelief. "What in bloody hell…?"

Izayoi turned to Inuyasha, wearing an annoyed frown. "I won't hear such language at the dinner table. Don't you dare think that you are too old to have your mouth washed out, Inuyasha."

Crimson dotted Inuyasha's cheeks, but he did not take his eyes off of Sesshomaru and the girl. "Who _is _she"

Kagome rolled her eyes at the hanyou. He really needed to learn some manners…

Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha an irritated glance. "This is Rin, my fiancée."

Inuyasha dropped the fork that he had been tinkering with. His jaw seemed to nearly hit the table. "What?"

"Are you deaf, little brother? Surely those grotesque ears of yours can hear. "

Inuyasha ignored the comment, which showed his level of surprise. He was always touchy about his ears. "You're getting married? To _her_?"

Sesshomaru took a long drink from his goblet. "Yes, Inuyasha. Must I always repeat myself when around you? You're listening skills could use some brushing up."

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head and his lips drew back in a silent snarl. "You've never been one for commitment. You could never love someone. You're heart is ice!"

Sesshomaru stood up, knocking his chair backwards. "How dare you insult me over commitment! You're the one who mated before marriage, sending our family reputation out the window!"

"SILENCE!" Inutaisho's voice boomed so loudly that the walls seemed to rattle. "I will not tolerate this nonsense from the both of you! You can either act like men, or you can leave my table."

Rin, who didn't look even the least bit fazed from Inutaisho's explosion, took Sesshomaru's arm and slowly eased him back into his chair. He gave her a heated glare, clearly not liking being treated like a child. She returned with the most innocent look a woman of her age could muster.

Kagome was hurriedly wiping juice from her dress. Unlike Rin, Kagome had nearly toppled her chair at the fright that Inutaisho had given her, which resulted in her spilling all her juice on herself. _And I really liked this dress…_

Izayoi gave Kagome a pitying glance. "Why don't you go get cleaned up, Kagome? I'll make sure that the food isn't served until you return."

Rin's eyes brightened. "Oh! I'll go help you!"

Before Kagome could get a word in, she was quickly guided out of the room by Rin's firm grip. Rin did not slow down until they were thick into the maze of hallways. "Sorry, but I had to get out of there. I have a feeling that they wanted us out of there for a while so they could…sort some things out. So, where is your room?"

Kagome told Rin where her room was, and they walked as slowly as possible to get there. Neither wanted to intrude on a family feud.

"You seemed to handle Inutaisho's explosion well." Kagome grimaced as she looked at her dress. "I, on the other hand, have made a mess of myself."

Rin giggled girlishly. Everything about her seemed to be young and innocent. Each step she took was light with a slight bounce to it, and she had a large smile plastered on her face that never seemed to waver. Normally someone so cheery would grate on Kagome's nerves, but Rin had openness that Kagome already admired. "I'm used to random spurts of violence. When you are around Sesshomaru long enough, you just have to get used to it. He really is a nice guy when you get to know him, though."

Kagome couldn't help doubting that. He seemed so…cold. That was the only way to describe him.

"But enough about Sesshomaru. What's it like to have Inuyasha as a lover? Hmm?" Rin eyed Kagome eagerly.

Kagome nearly fell as they rounded a corner. "Lover? Oh no, we aren't lovers. We just happen to be stuck to each other by fate. There is really no relationship between us."

"So the rumor is true then? _The _Kuro actually put a spell on you that made you pregnant?" Rin had an almost admiring tone in her voice.

"Yes," Kagome said slowly.

This time it was Rin who almost fell. "Really? Wow…What did she look like? I've heard she is so beautiful that when she looks at any man, they instantly fall in love with her."

"She's definitely pretty, but I doubt that she can do that." Kagome spotted her bedroom door and beamed proudly. This time she didn't even have to ask for directions!

When they entered Kagome's room, Rin instantly darted toward the closet. Kagome never used to have a selection of clothes, but now that she lived at the palace, her wardrobe was close to bursting. Her closet, which was nearly as large as her room, was full of brightly colored clothing of every design. Kagome had tried to reject the avalanche of clothes that the castle tailor had given to her, but the tailor had ignored her protests.

"These fabrics are marvelous!" said Rin in a delighted voice. Before Kagome could even join Rin in looking for an outfit, the woman popped back out. She was holding a sky-blue dress that had a large, swooping v-neck. "This one's so pretty! You should wear it."

Kagome nodded and allowed Rin to help her put it on. Kagome was extremely relieved to have the sticky dress off her. She made a mental vow to not spill anything on herself again, no matter how startled she got.

When Kagome and Rin came back into the dining room, everyone at the table was silent. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were glaring daggers at each other, Inutaisho was sending frustrated looks at his sons, and Izayoi was calmly sipping her wine with a small smile gracing her lips.

As soon as Kagome sat down, the servants brought mounds of food into the dining room. Her mouth watered, and her stomach growled in desire. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she smelled the food's delicious aroma.

Kagome began piling every morsel of food within arms reach onto her large, golden plate. She was about to ask Inuyasha to pass her some rolls, but her mouth stopped half open when she noticed that everyone at the table was sating at her incredulously. Well, everyone with the exception of Izayoi, who started laughing.

"I remember my pregnancy with Inuyasha," she said, still laughing. "I ate more than Sesshomaru and Inutaisho put together! Don't worry about eating too much. You need to eat as much as possible to feed the little demon growing inside you."

Kagome gave Izayoi an appreciative glance, but she began eating at a slow pace and didn't ask Inuyasha for the rolls.

After everyone was done eating, Kagome left the table, intending to walk alone to her room. But Inuyasha left the table at the same time and walked beside her._ He _still_ doesn't trust me alone!_

Instead of going in the direction of her room, Inuyasha took her hand and led her outside. It was dark now, and stars covered the nearly moonless night. A cool breeze made their hair fly lazily behind them. Inuyasha inhaled and exhaled the cool air slowly, and Kagome could feel the muscles in his hands loosen.

"What are we doing out here?"

Inuyasha ignored her question. "You like horses, don't you?"

Kagome nodded, not sure what he was getting at.

Inuyasha let go of her hand and started walking into the darkness, motioning for her to follow him. Though the stars were shining brightly, Kagome couldn't tell where he was leading her until she heard the whinnying of horses.

"Why are we at the stable?" she asked in an excited voice. Sango hadn't let her come to see the horses. She said they were 'dangerous creatures'.

"What do most people do at a stable? We're going to ride a horse, idiot girl."

Kagome huffed, but kept in stride behind him. "It's _night._ The horses won't be able to see where they are going! A horse can easily break a leg if it travels at night." As though fate wanted to prove her point, Kagome nearly fell when she tripped over an abnormally large root. She would have fallen if Inuyasha hadn't turned and caught her at the last second. "And I'm not an 'idiot girl'."

Inuyasha snorted, still holding the arm that he had caught her with. "You're little fall just proved that, now didn't it?"

Kagome blushed. She was coming up with something particularly spiteful to say back when she saw Hojo. He was leaning against one of the horse stalls and looked to be taking a break. He shot her a shocked look that turned into a large smile. "Lady Kagome? Is that you?"

Smiling back, Kagome ripped her hand out of Inuyasha's grip and walked over to Hojo. "Hi, Hojo! How is Precious doing?"

Hojo's smile faded a bit, but he hitched it back up. He looked as though he had expected her to ask something else. "She's fine. I'll let you see her if-"

"We're not here to look at ponies," Inuyasha barked, giving Hojo an irritated look. "Go get my horse. Now!"

Hojo hurried to obey, yelling a muffled "Yes my Lord."

When Hojo came back with Inuyasha's horse, Kagome walked up to it and patted its beautiful ink-black coat. It nickered softly and rubbed its long nose against her arm.

Hojo saddled the horse and smiled at Kagome, a light blush staining his handsome cheeks. But when he saw Inuyasha's heated glare Hojo bowed awkwardly and left.

"You don't have to be so mean to him," Kagome said as she scratched the horse's ears. "He really is a nice guy."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes before jumping gracefully onto his horse's back. He stretched his arm out, intending to help her on the horse, but she ignored the hand and got up by herself, though not nearly as gracefully as Inuyasha had. Inuyasha rolled his eyes again and muttered something that sounded like "We've been through this before."

Inuyasha led the horse out of the stable. "You'd better hold on, Kagome, or you're going to fall off."

"It's too dark to make you're horse go faster than a trot!

"Just hold on."

Kagome slowly snaked her arms around Inuyasha's waist. The tips of her fingers clung lightly to his muscled stomach. _He may be skinny, but he sure has a toned body!_

As soon as Kagome's arms were securely around Inuyasha's waist, he kicked the horse's side, sending them through the darkness at a strenuous pace. Kagome tightened her grip on him as she dizzily watched the silhouettes of objects shaded by the darkness flash by.

Inuyasha grunted. "You don't have to strangle me!"

Kagome moaned as her dinner churned unpleasantly in her stomach. " Inuyasha…slow down!"

Inuyasha chuckled, the rumble from his chest tickling her fingers.

"I mean it Inuyasha! Stop!"

Inuyasha laughed again, a little louder this time. Kagome gave up and buried her face into Inuyasha's back, hoping that her stomach would settle down. Surprisingly, Kagome was comforted by the soft smell that came from him. It was hard to explain what he smelled like; the only thing Kagome could come up with was the scent of the woods after rain. Whatever the smell, She clung to the small comfort, waiting for the ride to be over.

They had only ridden for minutes, which seemed like hours to Kagome, when Inuyasha stopped the horse. Inuyasha tried to get down, but Kagome did not release her iron-like grip on him. "Kagome, you can let go now."

Kagome lifted her head from his back and slowly took her arms away. She looked around and saw no trees. All she could see was a huge, flat boulder and long grass as far as she could see. "Why are we by in a field-by a rock?"

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and jumped down from the horse, ignoring her indignant squeak. Inuyasha put her down, a small smile gracing his lips. "How dare you call that a rock!" He put on a mock mask of astonishment and anger. "That holy object is none other than 'The Thinking Stone!'

Kagome arched an eyebrow, but decided to play along. "Oh my, how could I ever have mistaken that for an ordinary rock? I give you my deepest apologies."

Inuyasha barked a laugh. "I guess I'll forgive you this time." He took the saddle off his horse and let it graze. "He likes the grass out here."

Kagome sat on the boulder, figuring that ten people could easily lie on it without even touching each other. She slid her hand across the smooth surface. "Why is it called 'The Thinking Stone?'

"Well, I'm the only one who calls it that; I'm not sure if anyone even knows about it. It's 'The Thinking Stone' because this is where I come when I need to solve something. Or sometimes I just come out here to relax."

"I don't see what's so impressive."

"Then I'll show you." Inuyasha gently but firmly pushed Kagome down against the rock.

Kagome yelped and fought to make Inuyasha let her up, but her eyes caught sight of the stars glittering above. She gave up all resistance and gasped at the sight. From her spot on the rock, she could see the whole sky. There were no houses, trees, or any other objects in view. Only an endless expanse of stars dotted her vision. The stars seemed to shine brighter here, their twinkling more animated. "It's so beautiful."

Inuyasha grunted in acceptance. He lay down next to her, folding his arms behind his head. His golden amber eyes glittered, seeming to glow in the dark.

Kagome didn't know how long she stared at the stars, mesmerized by their eternal beauty. She only noticed how cold the night had become when she saw the white puffs that came out of her mouth when she exhaled. She turned to Inuyasha and saw that he seemed unaffected by the temperature. She stubbornly turned her gaze skyward. If he could handle the cold, then she could too.

She heard him shifting and felt his shoulder touch hers. Kagome started when a warm piece of cloth was draped over her. She looked over and found her face only inches away from Inuyasha's. He had spread his large, red coat over the both of them.

"Thank you," she said softly. She unconsciously snuggled closer to him, her body seeking his warmth.

"What should we name the pup?" Inuyasha asked after a while.

"I haven't thought about it," Kagome said with a smile. "It depends whether it's a boy or a girl. I've always liked Akio for a boy's name, though."

Inuyasha nodded. "Akio is a good name. But what would you name the pup if it was a girl?

"I don't know. How about Kiyoshi?"

"It sounds like a fish."

"Sakura?" 

"That's overused."

"Miki?"

"Sounds too much like a guys name."

"Ai?" 

"Too short."

Kagome sighed. "I can't think of any more. Do you know any?" 

Inuyasha shrugged. "I've always liked Katana."

"You want our child to be named after a sword?"

"Not a sword, a blade. It's a strong name, but it still sounds good."

"Katana…" Kagome whispered softly. It felt right, but so did Akio. "What do you think the…pup will be- boy or girl?

"I've always wanted a boy, but I feel like it's going to be a girl."

Kagome pulled the coat closer. "I feel just the opposite. I've always wanted a girl, but I think it'll be a boy.

They talked, and lightly argued over that until the conversation slowly faded. Kagome tried to stay awake, but sleep slowly overcame her. She soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep that lasted through the night.

When Kagome woke, she was surprised to find Inuyasha's arms wrapped protectively around her and was even more startled to find her legs wrapped around his. Her blush easily outstripped the bright sunrise. Inuyasha was still sleeping. His chest, which was pressed up against hers, rose and fell rhythmically. His face seemed nearly angel-like. A rude angel, maybe, but still an angel.

Kagome untangled herself from him, feeling almost reluctant to leave. That fact made her blush all the more furiously. _I can't like him yet! I'm not supposed to like him at all! He's supposed to marry Kikyo!_

-

The next couple of weeks were some of the best of Kagome's life. During the day she would hang with Sango, the only true friend that she had ever had, and now Rin, who was also becoming a friend. And going to 'The Thinking Stone' was becoming a nightly ritual for Inuyasha and her, though they never spent the night there again due to Miroku's never-ending taunting and jokes.

Kagome smiled to herself as she rubbed her ever-growing belly. _I love you, little one._

-

I really, really enjoyed writing that! I want to thank you all-well, most of you-for your patience. I promise you that the next update will come faster than this one did. If I break that promise then I give you all permission to attack me with stinky, old shoes! Oh, and excuse any spelling errors…It's very, very late.

If you haven't voted on a gender for baby, do so!

(Virginia-Do you have another email? My account doesn't want to send to you for some reason. Email me back at )


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